Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Brisbane Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Brisbane

😐 Solo nomad: Cairns is 12.3% more expensive than Brisbane without rent, and 0.8% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cairns is 22% more expensive than Brisbane without rent, and 3.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.67 A$17.88

$16.24 A$24.88

-28.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 A$125

$71.2 A$109

14.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 A$16.33

$9.6 A$14.7

11.04%

Cappuccino

$3.92 A$6.01

$3.6 A$5.51

8.89%

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

$2.73 A$4.19

$2.74 A$4.2

-0.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.46

$2.15 A$3.29

5.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 A$10.09

$6.36 A$9.75

3.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 A$10.83

$7.97 A$12.2

-11.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.7 A$2.61

$1.6 A$2.45

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 A$3.85

$2.22 A$3.39

13.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 A$4.15

$1.8 A$2.76

50.56%

Eggs

$3.93 A$6.02

$4.47 A$6.85

-12.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.87 A$12.06

$8.05 A$12.33

-2.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 A$14.08

$8.09 A$12.4

13.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.84 A$19.67

$13.4 A$20.53

-4.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.58

$3.25 A$4.98

-8.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.53

$2.75 A$4.21

-16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 A$4.07

Tomato (1kg)

$7.39 A$11.32

$4.23 A$6.48

74.70%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.5

$2.41 A$3.69

-5.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.42

$2.26 A$3.46

-1.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 A$3.47

$2.24 A$3.44

1.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.88 A$4.42

$1.24 A$1.89

132.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29.83 A$45.69

$32.96 A$50.5

-9.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 A$16.89

$13.07 A$20.02

-15.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 A$5.2

$4.47 A$6.85

-24.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 A$5.39

$4.04 A$6.19

-12.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.22 A$4.94

$0.34 A$0.53

847.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.4 A$100

$26.98 A$41.33

142.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.44 A$9.86

$2.23 A$3.41

188.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.13 A$4.8

$1.56 A$2.4

100.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.86 A$51.9

$33.95 A$52

-0.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 A$1.77

$1.23 A$1.89

-6.50%

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

$22.7K A$34.8K

$28.6K A$43.8K

-20.68%

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

$19.2K A$29.4K

$22.6K A$34.7K

-15.24%

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

$153 A$234

$144 A$221

6.05%

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

$37.09 A$56.8

$25.53 A$39.11

45.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59 A$90.3

$53.9 A$82.6

9.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.89 A$59.6

$49.01 A$75.1

-20.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.92 A$24.39

$17.02 A$26.07

-6.46%

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 A$19.88

$13.17 A$20.18

-1.44%

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

$1,628 A$2,494

$1,646 A$2,521

-1.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K A$18.5K

$8,863 A$13.6K

36.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83 A$127

$72.8 A$111

14.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.2 A$101

$44.21 A$67.7

49.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 A$150

$94.5 A$145

3.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$206

$101 A$155

32.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 A$1,828

$1,588 A$2,433

-24.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 A$1,701

$1,237 A$1,894

-10.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 A$3,128

$2,568 A$3,935

-20.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,858 A$2,847

$1,885 A$2,888

-1.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,035 A$9,246

$8,805 A$13.5K

-31.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,795 A$7,346

$6,597 A$10.1K

-27.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,813 A$4,310

$3,896 A$5,968

-27.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.96

6.24

11.54%

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

Last update for Cairns: October 27, 2025

Last update for Brisbane: October 28, 2025

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