Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Coffs Harbour and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Coffs Harbour: $2,468 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Coffs Harbour
Learn more

Coffs Harbour Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
Learn more

Brisbane Living Index

Jump to prices

Coffs Harbour

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,468

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Coffs Harbour and in Brisbane

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

A single person spends $2,468 per month in Coffs Harbour vs $2,630 in Brisbane, rent included.

Coffs Harbour $2,468
Brisbane $2,630

A couple spends around $3,579 per month in Coffs Harbour vs $3,801 in Brisbane, rent included.

Coffs Harbour $3,579
Brisbane $3,801

A family of three spends $4,690 per month in Coffs Harbour vs $4,972 in Brisbane, rent included.

Coffs Harbour $4,690
Brisbane $4,972

Coffs Harbour is about 6% cheaper than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Coffs Harbour and Brisbane sit above the global median – Coffs Harbour by 81%, Brisbane by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.25 A$20.25

$17.61 A$25.02

-19.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 A$147

$80.0 A$114

29.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.87 A$12.61

$11.43 A$16.24

-22.40%

Cappuccino

$3.77 A$5.36

$4.51 A$6.41

-16.41%

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

$2.86 A$4.07

$2.95 A$4.20

-3.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 A$2.77

$2.39 A$3.40

-18.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.37 A$7.64

$8.61 A$12.23

-37.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 A$7.79

$8.36 A$11.88

-34.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.16

$1.62 A$2.30

-6.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 A$3.74

$2.65 A$3.77

-0.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.32 A$3.30

3.45%

Eggs

$3.36 A$4.77

$4.94 A$7.02

-31.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 A$12.35

$9.08 A$12.90

-4.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 A$10.11

$9.12 A$12.96

-22.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 A$19.56

$14.34 A$20.37

-4.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 A$5.65

$4.14 A$5.88

-3.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.39

$3.07 A$4.36

0.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.93

$3.05 A$4.33

13.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 A$5.91

$4.89 A$6.94

-14.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 A$2.03

$2.81 A$3.99

-49.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.47

$2.48 A$3.52

-1.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 A$3.58

$2.41 A$3.42

4.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.37

$1.19 A$1.69

99.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.01 A$45.48

$38.54 A$54.8

-16.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.22 A$20.20

$12.65 A$17.97

12.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.05 A$8.59

$5.22 A$7.41

15.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 A$9.41

$4.87 A$6.92

36.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.72 A$6.71

$0.34 A$0.48

1288.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.97 A$29.80

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 A$3.00

$3.05 A$4.33

-30.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.26

$1.89 A$2.69

-15.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.69 A$50.7

$40.76 A$57.9

-12.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.87

$1.45 A$2.06

-8.97%

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

$28.9K A$41.1K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-2.56%

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

$26.7K A$37.9K

$25.6K A$36.4K

4.27%

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

$175 A$248

$158 A$224

10.75%

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

$10.59 A$15.05

$26.05 A$37.02

-59.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 A$76.6

$61.1 A$86.9

-11.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 A$153

$61.2 A$86.9

76.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.36 A$31.77

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 A$19.11

$13.95 A$19.82

-3.58%

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

$2,183 A$3,102

$2,044 A$2,905

6.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K A$16.7K

$12.9K A$18.3K

-8.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 A$110

$82.4 A$117

-6.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.5 A$76.1

$43.63 A$62.0

22.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 A$146

$113 A$161

-9.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$111 A$158

11.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 A$1,988

$1,944 A$2,762

-28.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 A$1,850

$1,431 A$2,034

-9.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 A$2,999

$3,484 A$4,951

-39.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 A$2,764

$2,240 A$3,184

-13.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,566 A$5,066

$9,322 A$13.2K

-61.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,623 A$5,149

$7,003 A$9,951

-48.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,275 A$4,653

$4,144 A$5,888

-20.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

5.81

-2.07%

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

Last update for Coffs Harbour: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Coffs Harbour

$1.3K 52.7%

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4% 10% $130

Groceries & Markets

Coffs Harbour

$360 14.6%

Brisbane

$362 13.8% 0.4% $1.5

Eating Out

Coffs Harbour

$243 9.8%

Brisbane

$310 11.8% 27.8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Coffs Harbour

$239 9.7%

Brisbane

$245 9.3% 2.4% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Coffs Harbour

$161 6.5%

Brisbane

$158 6% 1.8% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Coffs Harbour

$135 5.5%

Brisbane

$89 3.4% 33.9% $46

Getting Around

Coffs Harbour

$29 * 1.2%

Brisbane

$35 1.3% 20.4% $5.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,399 in Coffs Harbour versus $1,944 in Brisbane. 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 27% higher in Brisbane. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Coffs Harbour versus $80 in Brisbane. Groceries tell a different story – $360 in Coffs Harbour vs $362 in Brisbane – so Coffs Harbour wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Coffs Harbour

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

01:50 1:50 AM

1 h behind Coffs Harbour

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,759

2,287,896

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Coffs Harbour Brisbane 310 km

From you

Coffs Harbour
Brisbane

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

Coffs Harbour vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 7% more than Coffs Harbour, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,703 per month in Coffs Harbour and $3,945 in Brisbane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Coffs Harbour, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,399 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,468 in Coffs Harbour and $2,630 in Brisbane. That’s a gap of about 7%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $104 in Coffs Harbour and $80 in Brisbane. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Brisbane has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,468 in Coffs Harbour to $2,630 in Brisbane. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Coffs Harbour. 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.