Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Brisbane: $2,630 a month against $3,073 in Darwin, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
Learn more

Darwin Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
Learn more

Brisbane Living Index

Jump to prices

Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,073

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Darwin 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 Darwin and in Brisbane actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,073 per month in Darwin vs $2,630 in Brisbane, rent included.

Darwin $3,073
Brisbane $2,630

A couple spends around $4,118 per month in Darwin vs $3,801 in Brisbane, rent included.

Darwin $4,118
Brisbane $3,801

A family of three spends $5,163 per month in Darwin vs $4,972 in Brisbane, rent included.

Darwin $5,163
Brisbane $4,972

Darwin costs about 17% more than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Darwin and Brisbane sit above the global median – Darwin by 126%, Brisbane by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.40 A$31.83

$17.61 A$25.02

27.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 A$129

$80.0 A$114

13.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 A$16.14

$11.43 A$16.24

-0.61%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.01

$4.51 A$6.41

-6.21%

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

$3.46 A$4.91

$2.95 A$4.20

17.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 A$4.28

$2.39 A$3.40

25.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.57 A$10.75

$8.61 A$12.23

-12.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.57 A$10.76

$8.36 A$11.88

-9.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 A$2.19

$1.62 A$2.30

-4.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 A$4.32

$2.65 A$3.77

14.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 A$3.13

$2.32 A$3.30

-5.17%

Eggs

$4.47 A$6.35

$4.94 A$7.02

-9.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 A$12.67

$9.08 A$12.90

-1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.31 A$11.81

$9.12 A$12.96

-8.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.85 A$12.57

$14.34 A$20.37

-38.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 A$5.46

$4.14 A$5.88

-7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.09

$3.07 A$4.36

-6.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 A$3.98

$3.05 A$4.33

-8.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 A$7.14

$4.89 A$6.94

2.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.62

$2.81 A$3.99

-9.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.27

$2.48 A$3.52

-7.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 A$2.92

$2.41 A$3.42

-14.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.09

$1.19 A$1.69

82.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.35 A$64.4

$38.54 A$54.8

17.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 A$17.27

$12.65 A$17.97

-3.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$10.13 A$14.39

$5.22 A$7.41

94.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 A$11.18

$4.87 A$6.92

61.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.48

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.37 A$68.7

$20.97 A$29.80

130.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 A$5.25

$3.05 A$4.33

20.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.89 A$2.69

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$48.52 A$68.9

$40.76 A$57.9

19.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.45 A$2.06

-8.28%

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

$30.0K A$42.6K

$29.7K A$42.2K

0.86%

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

$33.4K A$47.4K

$25.6K A$36.4K

30.40%

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

$215 A$305

$158 A$224

35.98%

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

$33.49 A$47.58

$26.05 A$37.02

28.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.9 A$86.6

$61.1 A$86.9

-0.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.0 A$104

$61.2 A$86.9

19.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.22 A$40.10

$22.36 A$31.77

26.21%

Cinema Ticket

$16.99 A$24.14

$13.95 A$19.82

21.79%

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

$1,939 A$2,755

$2,044 A$2,905

-5.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,442 A$12.0K

$12.9K A$18.3K

-34.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 A$121

$82.4 A$117

3.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 A$66.1

$43.63 A$62.0

6.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$150

$113 A$161

-6.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$196

$111 A$158

24.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,719 A$2,442

$1,944 A$2,762

-11.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,709 A$2,428

$1,431 A$2,034

19.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,803 A$3,982

$3,484 A$4,951

-19.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,124 A$3,019

$2,240 A$3,184

-5.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,771 A$5,359

$9,322 A$13.2K

-59.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,536 A$5,024

$7,003 A$9,951

-49.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,223 A$6,001

$4,144 A$5,888

1.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

5.81

5.68%

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

Last update for Darwin: October 27, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Darwin

$1.7K 55.6%

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4% 16.2% $278

Groceries & Markets

Darwin

$377 12.3%

Brisbane

$362 13.8% 4.1% $16

Eating Out

Darwin

$343 11.2%

Brisbane

$310 11.8% 9.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darwin

$309 10.1%

Brisbane

$245 9.3% 20.7% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Darwin

$169 5.5%

Brisbane

$158 6% 6.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Darwin

$107 3.5%

Brisbane

$89 3.4% 16.7% $18

Getting Around

Darwin

$59 * 1.9%

Brisbane

$35 1.3% 40.8% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,719 in Darwin 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Darwin versus $80 in Brisbane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $362 – making Brisbane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Darwin

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

00:00 12:00 AM

30 min ahead of Darwin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,207

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

Darwin Brisbane 2,850 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Darwin
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

Darwin vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Darwin costs about 17% more than Brisbane, 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 $4,609 per month in Darwin 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 Darwin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,719 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Darwin, 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 $91 in Darwin and $80 in Brisbane. 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 $3,073 in Darwin and $2,630 in Brisbane. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Brisbane has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,630 in Brisbane to $3,073 in Darwin. 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.