Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Macquarie and Brisbane Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Macquarie and Brisbane

🙂 Solo nomad: Lake Macquarie is 2.3% cheaper than Brisbane without rent, and 13.4% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Lake Macquarie is 9.1% more expensive than Brisbane without rent, and 3.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.91 A$19.78

$16.24 A$24.88

-20.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 A$118

$71.2 A$109

8.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 A$14.79

$9.6 A$14.7

0.63%

Cappuccino

$3.34 A$5.12

$3.6 A$5.51

-7.22%

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

$2.38 A$3.65

$2.74 A$4.2

-13.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2 A$3.07

$2.15 A$3.29

-6.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.35 A$9.72

$6.36 A$9.75

-0.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.96 A$10.66

$7.97 A$12.2

-12.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 A$2.1

$1.6 A$2.45

-14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 A$2.2

$2.22 A$3.39

-35.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 A$1.82

$1.8 A$2.76

-33.89%

Eggs

$3.14 A$4.81

$4.47 A$6.85

-29.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 A$11.5

$8.05 A$12.33

-6.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 A$9.3

$8.09 A$12.4

-24.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.78 A$18.05

$13.4 A$20.53

-12.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.76

$3.25 A$4.98

-4.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.7 A$4.13

$2.75 A$4.21

-1.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.84

$2.66 A$4.07

18.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.64

$4.23 A$6.48

2.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 A$2.98

$2.41 A$3.69

-19.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 A$2.66

$2.26 A$3.46

-23.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 A$2.07

$2.24 A$3.44

-39.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 A$1.73

$1.24 A$1.89

-8.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.52 A$42.16

$32.96 A$50.5

-16.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 A$11.09

$13.07 A$20.02

-44.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 A$4.02

$4.47 A$6.85

-41.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 A$3.3

$4.04 A$6.19

-46.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 A$3.17

$0.34 A$0.53

508.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.9 A$136

$26.98 A$41.33

229.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 A$2.86

$2.23 A$3.41

-16.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.37

$1.56 A$2.4

-0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.5 A$71.2

$33.95 A$52

36.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.82

$1.23 A$1.89

-3.25%

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

$24.9K A$38.2K

$28.6K A$43.8K

-12.86%

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

$20.2K A$30.9K

$22.6K A$34.7K

-10.90%

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

$204 A$313

$144 A$221

41.78%

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

$10.26 A$15.72

$25.53 A$39.11

-59.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.08 A$64.5

$53.9 A$82.6

-21.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.44 A$75.7

$49.01 A$75.1

0.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.88 A$24.33

$17.02 A$26.07

-6.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.2 A$14.1

$13.17 A$20.18

-30.14%

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

$1,446 A$2,215

$1,646 A$2,521

-12.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,951 A$15.2K

$8,863 A$13.6K

12.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 A$112

$72.8 A$111

0.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.88 A$51.9

$44.21 A$67.7

-23.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 A$117

$94.5 A$145

-18.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$202

$101 A$155

30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 A$1,900

$1,588 A$2,433

-21.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$976 A$1,495

$1,237 A$1,894

-21.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,007 A$3,074

$2,568 A$3,935

-21.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,055 A$3,148

$1,885 A$2,888

9.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,582 A$8,552

$8,805 A$13.5K

-36.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,951 A$7,584

$6,597 A$10.1K

-24.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,783 A$7,327

$3,896 A$5,968

22.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.35

6.24

-30.29%

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

Last update for Lake Macquarie: October 29, 2025

Last update for Brisbane: October 28, 2025

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