Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Brisbane Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Brisbane

😐 Solo nomad: Melbourne is 19.5% more expensive than Brisbane without rent, and 4.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Melbourne is 13.7% more expensive than Brisbane without rent, and 9.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.2 A$29.41

$16.24 A$24.88

18.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.6 A$120

$71.2 A$109

10.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 A$15.35

$9.6 A$14.7

4.38%

Cappuccino

$3.67 A$5.62

$3.6 A$5.51

1.94%

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

$2.54 A$3.89

$2.74 A$4.2

-7.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.49

$2.15 A$3.29

6.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.28 A$11.15

$6.36 A$9.75

14.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.3 A$11.18

$7.97 A$12.2

-8.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 A$2.2

$1.6 A$2.45

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.63 A$4.02

$2.22 A$3.39

18.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 A$3.48

$1.8 A$2.76

26.11%

Eggs

$4.86 A$7.45

$4.47 A$6.85

8.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.74 A$13.39

$8.05 A$12.33

8.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 A$14.07

$8.09 A$12.4

13.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.95 A$22.9

$13.4 A$20.53

11.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 A$5.1

$3.25 A$4.98

2.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.35

$2.75 A$4.21

3.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3 A$4.6

$2.66 A$4.07

12.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 A$6.05

$4.23 A$6.48

-6.62%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 A$4.09

$2.41 A$3.69

10.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.58

$2.26 A$3.46

3.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 A$3.3

$2.24 A$3.44

-4.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 A$2.5

$1.24 A$1.89

32.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.11 A$49.19

$32.96 A$50.5

-2.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.13 A$20.11

$13.07 A$20.02

0.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.54 A$6.96

$4.47 A$6.85

1.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 A$7.74

$4.04 A$6.19

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.67 A$5.62

$0.34 A$0.53

979.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 A$180

$26.98 A$41.33

336.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 A$5.6

$2.23 A$3.41

63.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 A$2.05

$1.56 A$2.4

-14.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.26 A$41.77

$33.95 A$52

-19.71%

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)

$28.6K A$43.9K

$28.6K A$43.8K

0.07%

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

$23.5K A$36K

$22.6K A$34.7K

3.85%

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

$150 A$230

$144 A$221

4.29%

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

$20.8 A$31.86

$25.53 A$39.11

-18.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51 A$78.2

$53.9 A$82.6

-5.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.23 A$73.9

$49.01 A$75.1

-1.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.91 A$24.38

$17.02 A$26.07

-6.52%

Cinema Ticket

$16.53 A$25.32

$13.17 A$20.18

25.51%

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

$1,730 A$2,651

$1,646 A$2,521

5.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K A$29.3K

$8,863 A$13.6K

115.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 A$104

$72.8 A$111

-6.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 A$82.2

$44.21 A$67.7

21.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$165

$94.5 A$145

13.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$162

$101 A$155

4.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,548 A$2,371

$1,588 A$2,433

-2.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 A$1,881

$1,237 A$1,894

-0.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,973 A$4,555

$2,568 A$3,935

15.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,956 A$2,997

$1,885 A$2,888

3.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,110 A$10.9K

$8,805 A$13.5K

-19.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,790 A$8,871

$6,597 A$10.1K

-12.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,045 A$6,198

$3,896 A$5,968

3.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.19

6.24

-0.80%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 28, 2025

Last update for Brisbane: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Munich

🇩🇪 Germany

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

Vienna

🇦🇹 Austria

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia