Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Stafford

For one person, living is cheaper in Stafford: $2,241 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Stafford
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Stafford Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Stafford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,241

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Stafford

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Brisbane and in Stafford actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,630 per month in Brisbane vs $2,241 in Stafford, rent included.

Brisbane $2,630
Stafford $2,241

A couple spends around $3,801 per month in Brisbane vs $3,310 in Stafford, rent included.

Brisbane $3,801
Stafford $3,310

A family of three spends $4,972 per month in Brisbane vs $4,379 in Stafford, rent included.

Brisbane $4,972
Stafford $4,379

Brisbane costs about 17% more than Stafford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Brisbane and Stafford sit above the global median – Brisbane by 93%, Stafford by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$25.02

$19.91 £14.98

-11.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 A$114

$73.5 £55.3

8.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 A$16.24

$10.48 £7.89

9.06%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.41

$4.54 £3.42

-0.66%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 A$4.20

$2.09 £1.57

41.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 A$3.40

$1.71 £1.28

39.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 A$12.23

$6.59 £4.96

30.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.88

$5.20 £3.91

60.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.30

$1.75 £1.32

-7.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$1.52 £1.14

74.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.13 £1.60

8.92%

Eggs

$4.94 A$7.02

$3.46 £2.60

42.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 A$12.90

$9.97 £7.50

-8.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.96

$9.13 £6.87

-0.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 A$20.37

$12.81 £9.64

11.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 A$5.88

$2.98 £2.24

38.93%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 A$4.36

$1.78 £1.34

72.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.33

$3.69 £2.78

-17.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.94

$3.53 £2.66

38.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$3.99

$2.06 £1.55

36.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.52

$1.74 £1.31

42.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$1.19 £0.90

102.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$1.72 £1.30

-30.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.54 A$54.8

$21.68 £16.31

77.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$9.49 £7.14

33.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.22 A$7.41

$3.49 £2.62

49.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.92

$3.81 £2.86

27.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

$4.62 £3.48

-92.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.80

$93.9 £70.6

-77.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.33

$2.74 £2.06

11.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$1.36 £1.02

38.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$57.9

$25.18 £18.95

61.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$2.06 £1.55

-29.61%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.7K A$42.2K

$37.9K £28.5K

-21.69%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.6K A$36.4K

$40.1K £30.1K

-36.09%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$158 A$224

$296 £223

-46.67%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.05 A$37.02

$20.06 £15.10

29.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$86.9

$41.85 £31.50

46.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 A$86.9

$40.70 £30.63

50.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.77

$19.31 £14.53

15.79%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 A$19.82

$15.75 £11.85

-11.43%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,044 A$2,905

$1,246 £938

64.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K A$18.3K

$27.7K £20.8K

-53.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.4 A$117

$75.2 £56.6

9.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.63 A$62.0

$46.72 £35.16

-6.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$84.2 £63.4

34.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$158

$98.5 £74.2

12.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,944 A$2,762

$1,134 £853

71.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 A$2,034

$942 £709

51.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,484 A$4,951

$1,620 £1,219

115.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,240 A$3,184

$1,596 £1,202

40.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,322 A$13.2K

$3,987 £3,001

133.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,003 A$9,951

$3,432 £2,583

104.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,888

$2,991 £2,251

38.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.37

8.19%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Last update for Stafford: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4%

Stafford

$942 42% 34.2% $490

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$362 13.8%

Stafford

$306 13.7% 15.4% $56

Eating Out

Brisbane

$310 11.8%

Stafford

$304 13.6% 2.2% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$245 9.3%

Stafford

$358 16% 46.1% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6%

Stafford

$137 6.1% 13.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.4%

Stafford

$72 3.2% 18.9% $17

Getting Around

Brisbane

$35 1.3%

Stafford

$122 5.4% 250% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,944 in Brisbane versus $1,134 in Stafford. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 39% higher in Brisbane. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane versus $74 in Stafford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $306 – making Stafford the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇬🇧 Stafford

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

19:02 7:02 PM

10 h behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

71,673

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brisbane Stafford 16,530 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Stafford

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Brisbane vs Stafford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 17% more than Stafford, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,945 per month in Brisbane and $3,361 in Stafford. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stafford, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,134 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Brisbane and $74 in Stafford. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,630 in Brisbane and $2,241 in Stafford. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Stafford – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Stafford. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.