Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karratha and Brisbane

For one person, living costs are similar in Karratha and in Brisbane: $2,473 and $2,518 a month, rent and utilities included.

120

Cost of Living Index in Karratha
Learn more

Karratha Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
Learn more

Brisbane Living Index

Jump to prices

Karratha

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,473

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,473 per month in Karratha vs $2,518 in Brisbane, rent included.

Karratha $2,473
Brisbane $2,518

A couple spends around $3,581 per month in Karratha vs $3,720 in Brisbane, rent included.

Karratha $3,581
Brisbane $3,720

A family of three spends $4,690 per month in Karratha vs $4,922 in Brisbane, rent included.

Karratha $4,690
Brisbane $4,922

Karratha is about 2% cheaper than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Karratha and Brisbane sit above the global median – Karratha by 83%, Brisbane by 86%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 A$24.99

$17.39 A$24.70

1.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 A$117

$70.9 A$101

16.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.31 A$14.66

$11.09 A$15.75

-7.03%

Cappuccino

$3.88 A$5.52

$4.43 A$6.30

-12.42%

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

$2.83 A$4.02

$2.90 A$4.12

-2.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 A$3.11

$2.43 A$3.45

-9.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 A$10.72

$8.42 A$11.97

-10.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.58 A$10.77

$8.31 A$11.81

-8.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.16

$1.67 A$2.37

-8.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.86

$2.72 A$3.87

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.21

$2.29 A$3.25

-1.31%

Eggs

$4.83 A$6.86

$4.82 A$6.85

0.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.39

$9.06 A$12.87

3.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 A$13.39

$9.18 A$13.05

2.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 A$21.15

$14.21 A$20.19

4.79%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 A$5.65

$4.31 A$6.12

-7.89%

Banana (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.42

$3.04 A$4.32

2.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 A$4.68

$3.00 A$4.27

9.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 A$6.75

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 A$3.99

$2.72 A$3.87

3.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.40

$2.34 A$3.32

2.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 A$3.31

$2.42 A$3.44

-3.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.09

$1.19 A$1.69

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.46 A$58.9

$38.67 A$55.0

7.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.65 A$19.39

$12.66 A$17.98

7.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.76 A$6.76

$5.40 A$7.67

-11.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 A$7.60

$5.13 A$7.28

4.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 A$4.11

$0.37 A$0.52

681.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.2 A$117

$20.72 A$29.44

296.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 A$4.81

$2.92 A$4.15

15.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.24

$1.86 A$2.64

-15.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.46 A$56.1

$41.05 A$58.3

-3.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.94

$1.40 A$1.99

-2.86%

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

$27.0K A$38.3K

$29.7K A$42.3K

-9.32%

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

$29.6K A$42.1K

$26.0K A$36.9K

14.05%

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

$202 A$286

$159 A$226

26.68%

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

$27.87 A$39.60

$26.52 A$37.68

5.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 A$78.7

$60.6 A$86.1

-8.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 A$80.6

$60.9 A$86.5

-6.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.66 A$25.10

$22.22 A$31.57

-20.52%

Cinema Ticket

$14.78 A$21.00

$14.14 A$20.08

4.53%

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

$2,176 A$3,091

$1,952 A$2,773

11.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$29.0K

$12.7K A$18.1K

60.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.6 A$110

$83.3 A$118

-6.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 A$77.7

$43.69 A$62.1

25.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$153

$113 A$161

-4.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 A$171

$111 A$158

8.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$1,976

$1,939 A$2,755

-28.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,176 A$1,671

$1,322 A$1,878

-11.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,113 A$3,003

$3,408 A$4,842

-37.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,779 A$2,527

$2,242 A$3,186

-20.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,861 A$8,328

$8,271 A$11.8K

-29.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,940 A$7,020

$5,920 A$8,411

-16.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,183 A$5,944

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.81

0.52%

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

Last update for Karratha: October 17, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karratha

$1.2K 47.5%

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5% 12.4% $146

Groceries & Markets

Karratha

$368 14.9%

Brisbane

$363 14.4% 1.4% $5.2

Eating Out

Karratha

$291 11.8%

Brisbane

$306 12.1% 4.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karratha

$285 11.5%

Brisbane

$246 9.8% 13.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Karratha

$162 6.6%

Brisbane

$158 6.3% 2.6% $4.2

Getting Around

Karratha

$105 4.3%

Brisbane

$34 1.4% 67.2% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Karratha

$86 3.5%

Brisbane

$89 3.5% 3.3% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,391 in Karratha versus $1,939 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 $83 in Karratha versus $71 in Brisbane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $368 vs $363 – making Brisbane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Karratha

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

2 h ahead of Karratha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,013

2,287,896

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karratha Brisbane 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Karratha
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

Karratha vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 2% more than Karratha, 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 $3,710 per month in Karratha and $3,777 in Brisbane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karratha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,391 there versus $1,939 in Brisbane.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,473 in Karratha and $2,518 in Brisbane. That’s a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $2,176 per month in Karratha and $1,952 in Brisbane. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,473 in Karratha and $2,518 in Brisbane, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Brisbane has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,473 in Karratha to $2,518 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.