Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Wakefield

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakefield: $2,009 a month against $2,518 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Wakefield
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Wakefield Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Wakefield

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brisbane and in Wakefield

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 Wakefield actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,518 per month in Brisbane vs $2,009 in Wakefield, rent included.

Brisbane $2,518
Wakefield $2,009

A couple spends around $3,720 per month in Brisbane vs $3,209 in Wakefield, rent included.

Brisbane $3,720
Wakefield $3,209

A family of three spends $4,922 per month in Brisbane vs $4,410 in Wakefield, rent included.

Brisbane $4,922
Wakefield $4,410

Brisbane costs about 25% more than Wakefield, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Brisbane and Wakefield sit above the global median – Brisbane by 86%, Wakefield by 48%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$25.02

$19.71 £14.79

-11.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 A$102

$83.2 £62.4

-14.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.95

$9.70 £7.28

14.33%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$4.26 £3.19

3.99%

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

$2.90 A$4.17

$2.33 £1.75

24.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$1.36 £1.02

78.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 A$12.12

$5.93 £4.45

41.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 A$11.96

$5.38 £4.03

54.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 A$2.40

$1.43 £1.07

16.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.92

$1.88 £1.41

44.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.29

$2.63 £1.97

-12.93%

Eggs

$4.82 A$6.94

$4.05 £3.04

19.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$7.62 £5.72

18.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.21

$8.34 £6.25

10.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 A$20.45

$14.06 £10.55

1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.20

$2.99 £2.25

44.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.42 £1.06

114.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$2.56 £1.92

17.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 A$6.84

$2.87 £2.15

65.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.92

$1.81 £1.36

50.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.37

$1.61 £1.21

45.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.21 £0.91

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.71

$1.45 £1.09

-17.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.67 A$55.7

$22.52 £16.90

71.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$10.76 £8.07

17.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.40 A$7.77

$3.42 £2.56

57.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.38

$3.32 £2.49

54.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 A$0.53

$3.30 £2.47

-88.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.72 A$29.81

$105 £78.5

-80.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 A$4.20

$5.25 £3.94

-44.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 A$2.68

$1.42 £1.07

30.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.05 A$59.1

$15.75 £11.81

160.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$2.05 £1.54

-31.71%

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

$29.7K A$42.8K

$38.1K £28.6K

-21.93%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$40.8K £30.6K

-36.43%

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

$159 A$229

$342 £256

-53.44%

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

$26.52 A$38.16

$15.54 £11.66

70.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 A$87.2

$42.64 £31.99

42.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 A$87.6

$34.62 £25.97

75.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.22 A$31.97

$27.07 £20.31

-17.92%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 A$20.34

$13.89 £10.42

1.80%

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

$1,952 A$2,808

$1,217 £913

60.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.3K

$24.5K £18.4K

-48.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 A$120

$87.9 £66.0

-5.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.69 A$62.9

$54.1 £40.57

-19.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$163

$90.5 £67.9

25.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$160

$90.6 £68.0

22.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 A$2,790

$983 £737

97.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 A$1,902

$688 £516

92.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,408 A$4,904

$2,151 £1,614

58.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 A$3,226

$1,578 £1,184

42.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,271 A$11.9K

$4,045 £3,034

104.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,920 A$8,518

$2,678 £2,009

121.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,183 A$6,020

$2,420 £1,816

72.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

4.77

21.80%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Last update for Wakefield: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5%

Wakefield

$688 34.2% 48% $634

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$363 14.4%

Wakefield

$291 14.5% 19.9% $72

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12.1%

Wakefield

$293 14.6% 4.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$246 9.8%

Wakefield

$400 19.9% 62.4% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6.3%

Wakefield

$145 7.2% 8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.5%

Wakefield

$62 3.1% 30% $27

Getting Around

Brisbane

$34 1.4%

Wakefield

$130 6.5% 278% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,939 in Brisbane versus $983 in Wakefield. 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 73% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Brisbane versus $83.0 in Wakefield. Groceries tell a different story – $363 in Brisbane vs $291 in Wakefield – so Wakefield wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇬🇧 Wakefield

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

18:49 6:49 PM

9 h behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

322,300

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brisbane Wakefield 16,430 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
Wakefield

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 Wakefield: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 25% more than Wakefield, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,777 per month in Brisbane and $3,014 in Wakefield. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wakefield, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% 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 $71.0 in Brisbane and $83.0 in Wakefield. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Wakefield, where all-in costs run around $2,009, than in Brisbane at $2,518. In Wakefield it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wakefield – 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 Wakefield. 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.