Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Katoomba and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Katoomba: $2,409 a month against $2,630 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brisbane outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Katoomba
Learn more

Katoomba Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
Learn more

Brisbane Living Index

Jump to prices

Katoomba

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,409

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,409 per month in Katoomba vs $2,630 in Brisbane, rent included.

Katoomba $2,409
Brisbane $2,630

A couple spends around $3,467 per month in Katoomba vs $3,801 in Brisbane, rent included.

Katoomba $3,467
Brisbane $3,801

A family of three spends $4,526 per month in Katoomba vs $4,972 in Brisbane, rent included.

Katoomba $4,526
Brisbane $4,972

Katoomba is about 8% cheaper than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Katoomba and Brisbane sit above the global median – Katoomba by 77%, Brisbane by 93%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 A$24.60

$17.61 A$25.04

-1.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.8 A$122

$80.0 A$114

7.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.49 A$14.92

$11.43 A$16.25

-8.22%

Cappuccino

$3.15 A$4.47

$4.51 A$6.42

-30.16%

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

$2.72 A$3.87

$2.95 A$4.20

-7.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 A$2.93

$2.39 A$3.40

-13.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.44 A$9.15

$8.61 A$12.24

-25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.65 A$12.30

$8.36 A$11.89

3.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.21

$1.62 A$2.30

-3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 A$4.64

$2.65 A$3.77

23.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.61

$2.32 A$3.30

9.48%

Eggs

$5.26 A$7.47

$4.94 A$7.02

6.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.18 A$18.74

$9.08 A$12.91

45.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 A$13.72

$9.12 A$12.97

5.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 A$21.93

$14.34 A$20.38

7.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 A$5.82

$4.14 A$5.89

-1.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.40

$3.07 A$4.36

0.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 A$5.03

$3.05 A$4.33

15.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 A$7.29

$4.89 A$6.95

4.91%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.56

$2.81 A$4.00

14.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.08

$2.48 A$3.52

15.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.61

$2.41 A$3.42

5.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.19 A$1.69

13.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.57 A$64.8

$38.54 A$54.8

18.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 A$19.60

$12.65 A$17.98

9.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.65 A$6.61

$5.22 A$7.41

-10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 A$8.01

$4.87 A$6.92

15.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 A$3.51

$0.34 A$0.48

626.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.8 A$111

$20.97 A$29.82

270.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 A$5.69

$3.05 A$4.34

31.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 A$2.35

$1.89 A$2.69

-12.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.48 A$60.4

$40.76 A$58.0

4.22%

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)

$28.6K A$40.7K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-3.74%

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

$26.4K A$37.5K

$25.6K A$36.4K

2.99%

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

$186 A$265

$158 A$224

18.10%

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

$26.42 A$37.57

$26.05 A$37.04

1.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$80.1

$61.1 A$86.9

-7.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 A$87.7

$61.2 A$86.9

0.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.36 A$24.69

$22.36 A$31.79

-22.36%

Cinema Ticket

$15.98 A$22.72

$13.95 A$19.84

14.55%

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

$2,503 A$3,559

$2,044 A$2,907

22.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$28.9K

$12.9K A$18.3K

57.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 A$108

$82.4 A$117

-7.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 A$79.3

$43.63 A$62.0

27.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$154

$113 A$161

-4.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$189

$111 A$158

19.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,604 A$2,280

$1,944 A$2,764

-17.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 A$1,572

$1,431 A$2,035

-22.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,208 A$3,139

$3,484 A$4,954

-36.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 A$2,218

$2,240 A$3,186

-30.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,535 A$7,869

$9,322 A$13.3K

-40.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,242 A$7,453

$7,003 A$9,957

-25.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,144 A$5,892

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.81

2.41%

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

Last update for Katoomba: October 24, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Katoomba

$1.1K 45.9%

Brisbane

$1.4K 54.4% 29.5% $326

Groceries & Markets

Katoomba

$396 16.5%

Brisbane

$362 13.8% 8.7% $34

Eating Out

Katoomba

$276 11.5%

Brisbane

$310 11.8% 12.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Katoomba

$269 11.2%

Brisbane

$245 9.3% 9% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Katoomba

$168 7%

Brisbane

$158 6% 6.2% $10

Getting Around

Katoomba

$100 4.2%

Brisbane

$35 1.3% 65.2% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Katoomba

$94 3.9%

Brisbane

$89 3.4% 4.9% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,604 in Katoomba 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 $86 in Katoomba versus $80 in Brisbane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $362 – making Brisbane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Katoomba

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

23:56 11:56 PM

1 h behind Katoomba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

2,287,896

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Katoomba Brisbane 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Katoomba
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

Katoomba vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 9% more than Katoomba, 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 $3,613 per month in Katoomba 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 Katoomba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,604 there versus $1,944 in Brisbane.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Brisbane – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Katoomba and $80 in Brisbane. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,409 in Katoomba and $2,630 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 $2,409 in Katoomba to $2,630 in Brisbane. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.