Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Sydney Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Sydney

🙂 Solo nomad: Brisbane is 16.5% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 17% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Brisbane is 13.7% cheaper than Sydney without rent, and 21.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Brisbane
Sydney
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.24 A$24.88
$16.02 A$24.54
1.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.2 A$109
$77.1 A$118
-7.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.6 A$14.7
$9.6 A$14.7
-
Cappuccino
$3.6 A$5.51
$3.33 A$5.11
8.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 A$4.2
$2.5 A$3.83
9.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 A$3.29
$2 A$3.06
7.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.36 A$9.75
$6.33 A$9.69
0.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.97 A$12.2
$7.09 A$10.86
12.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Brisbane
Sydney
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.6 A$2.45
$1.69 A$2.59
-5.33%
White Bread (500g)
$2.22 A$3.39
$2.7 A$4.13
-17.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.8 A$2.76
$2.34 A$3.59
-23.08%
Eggs
$4.47 A$6.85
$5.05 A$7.74
-11.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.05 A$12.33
$8.65 A$13.25
-6.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.09 A$12.4
$8.45 A$12.95
-4.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.4 A$20.53
$13.8 A$21.14
-2.90%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 A$4.98
$3.18 A$4.88
2.20%
Banana (1kg)
$2.75 A$4.21
$2.67 A$4.09
3.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.66 A$4.07
$3.13 A$4.8
-15.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.23 A$6.48
$4.36 A$6.67
-2.98%
Potato (1kg)
$2.41 A$3.69
$2.56 A$3.92
-5.86%
Onion (1kg)
$2.26 A$3.46
$2.36 A$3.62
-4.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.24 A$3.44
$2.16 A$3.31
3.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 A$1.89
$1.24 A$1.91
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.96 A$50.5
$31.93 A$48.92
3.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.07 A$20.02
$13.43 A$20.58
-2.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.47 A$6.85
$4.8 A$7.35
-6.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.04 A$6.19
$5.26 A$8.06
-23.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Brisbane
Sydney
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 A$0.53
$3.19 A$4.88
-89.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.98 A$41.33
$139 A$212
-80.54%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.23 A$3.41
$3.79 A$5.81
-41.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 A$2.4
$2.96 A$4.54
-47.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.95 A$52
$51.4 A$78.7
-33.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 A$1.89
$1.2 A$1.84
2.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K A$43.8K
$29.3K A$44.9K
-2.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K A$34.7K
$22.2K A$34K
1.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Brisbane
Sydney
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 A$221
$201 A$308
-28.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.53 A$39.11
$23.73 A$36.35
7.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.9 A$82.6
$53.1 A$81.3
1.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Brisbane
Sydney
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.01 A$75.1
$61.5 A$94.2
-20.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.02 A$26.07
$20.64 A$31.62
-17.54%
Cinema Ticket
$13.17 A$20.18
$15.47 A$23.7
-14.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Brisbane
Sydney
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,646 A$2,521
$2,109 A$3,231
-21.95%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,863 A$13.6K
$18.8K A$28.8K
-52.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Brisbane
Sydney
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.8 A$111
$74.8 A$115
-2.78%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.21 A$67.7
$58.4 A$89.5
-24.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.5 A$145
$107 A$165
-12.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 A$155
$132 A$203
-23.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Brisbane
Sydney
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,588 A$2,433
$2,205 A$3,378
-27.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,237 A$1,894
$1,462 A$2,239
-15.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,568 A$3,935
$4,389 A$6,724
-41.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,885 A$2,888
$2,669 A$4,090
-29.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,805 A$13.5K
$12.7K A$19.5K
-30.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,597 A$10.1K
$7,165 A$11K
-7.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Brisbane
Sydney
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,896 A$5,968
$3,965 A$6,074
-1.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.24
6.34
-1.58%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 28, 2025

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

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