Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stafford and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Stafford: $2,202 a month against $2,520 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Stafford
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,202
/mo nomad
Brisbane
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,520
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,202 per month in Stafford vs $2,520 in Brisbane, rent included.

  • Stafford $2,202
  • Brisbane $2,520

A couple spends around $3,277 per month in Stafford vs $3,730 in Brisbane, rent included.

  • Stafford $3,277
  • Brisbane $3,730

A family of three spends $4,352 per month in Stafford vs $4,940 in Brisbane, rent included.

  • Stafford $4,352
  • Brisbane $4,940

Stafford is about 13% cheaper than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Stafford and Brisbane sit above the global median – Stafford by 63%, Brisbane by 87%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Stafford
Brisbane
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.11 £15.08
$17.58 A$25.29
14.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$73.4 £55.1
$69.8 A$101
5.11%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.63 £7.98
$11.18 A$16.09
-4.92%
Cappuccino
$4.61 £3.46
$4.26 A$6.13
8.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 £1.59
$2.88 A$4.15
-26.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 £1.30
$2.50 A$3.60
-30.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.70 £5.03
$8.55 A$12.30
-21.64%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.13 £3.85
$8.10 A$11.66
-36.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Stafford
Brisbane
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 £1.31
$1.62 A$2.33
7.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.54 £1.16
$2.66 A$3.83
-42.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.12 £1.59
$2.20 A$3.17
-3.64%
Eggs
$3.39 £2.54
$4.93 A$7.10
-31.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.99 £7.49
$9.03 A$12.99
10.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.85 £6.64
$9.04 A$13.01
-2.10%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.71 £9.53
$13.86 A$19.94
-8.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.84 £2.13
$4.11 A$5.92
-30.90%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 £1.26
$3.00 A$4.32
-44.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.69 £2.77
$2.91 A$4.18
26.80%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.48 £2.61
$4.87 A$7.01
-28.54%
Potato (1kg)
$2.10 £1.57
$2.74 A$3.95
-23.36%
Onion (1kg)
$1.69 £1.27
$2.44 A$3.51
-30.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 £0.88
$2.40 A$3.46
-51.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.22 A$1.76
34.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.87 £15.65
$38.84 A$55.9
-46.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.18 £6.89
$12.35 A$17.78
-25.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.31 £2.48
$5.12 A$7.37
-35.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 £2.84
$4.90 A$7.04
-22.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Stafford
Brisbane
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.54 £3.41
$0.36 A$0.52
1161.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$93.5 £70.2
$20.68 A$29.76
352.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.61 £1.96
$3.05 A$4.39
-14.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.31 £0.98
$1.77 A$2.55
-25.99%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.60 £18.46
$41.12 A$59.2
-40.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.07 £1.55
$1.45 A$2.08
42.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.8K £28.4K
$26.7K A$38.4K
41.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K £30.6K
$27.8K A$39.9K
47.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stafford
Brisbane
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$290 £217
$159 A$228
82.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.89 £14.92
$25.86 A$37.21
-23.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.75 £30.57
$60.3 A$86.8
-32.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Stafford
Brisbane
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.40 £30.31
$61.9 A$89.1
-34.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.50 £14.63
$22.88 A$32.93
-14.77%
Cinema Ticket
$15.62 £11.71
$17.41 A$25.06
-10.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Stafford
Brisbane
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$908 £681
$1,928 A$2,774
-52.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$26.8K £20.1K
$12.6K A$18.1K
112.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Stafford
Brisbane
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.5 £55.9
$84.4 A$121
-11.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.40 £34.06
$44.85 A$64.5
1.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.4 £63.4
$110 A$159
-23.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.9 £72.7
$109 A$157
-11.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Stafford
Brisbane
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,120 £840
$1,927 A$2,773
-41.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$917 £688
$1,325 A$1,906
-30.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,584 £1,189
$3,276 A$4,714
-51.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,591 £1,194
$2,266 A$3,261
-29.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,886 £2,915
$8,315 A$12.0K
-53.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,356 £2,518
$5,955 A$8,569
-43.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Stafford
Brisbane
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,978 £2,234
$4,100 A$5,900
-27.37%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.37
5.81
-7.57%

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

Last update for Stafford: October 11, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Stafford
$917
Brisbane
$1.3K 44.5% $408
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stafford
$350
Brisbane
$245 30.1% $105
Eating Out
Stafford
$307
Brisbane
$306 0.5% $1.5
Groceries & Markets
Stafford
$300
Brisbane
$357 19.1% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Stafford
$136
Brisbane
$157 15.7% $21
Getting Around
Stafford
$121
Brisbane
$34 71.8% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Stafford
$72
Brisbane
$97 35.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,120 in Stafford versus $1,927 in Brisbane. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 38% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Stafford versus $70.0 in Brisbane. Groceries tell a different story – $300 in Stafford vs $357 in Brisbane – so Stafford wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Stafford
🇦🇺 Brisbane
🕒 Local time
19:52 7:52 PM
04:52 4:52 AM
9 h ahead of Stafford
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
71,673
2,287,896
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Stafford Brisbane 16,530 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Stafford
  • 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
Stafford vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Stafford or Brisbane?
Brisbane costs about 14% more than Stafford, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Stafford and in Brisbane?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,303 per month in Stafford and $3,781 in Brisbane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Stafford or Brisbane?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Stafford, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Stafford or in Brisbane?
Groceries cost about 19% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Stafford and in Brisbane?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Stafford and $70.0 in Brisbane. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Stafford or in Brisbane?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Stafford, where all-in costs run around $2,202, than in Brisbane at $2,520. In Stafford it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Stafford – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Stafford compared to Brisbane?
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.
Should I move to Stafford or to Brisbane?
If budget matters most, go with Stafford. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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