Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surfers Paradise and Richmond, Canada

Name: Richmond
Address: Richmond, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Richmond: $2,459 a month against $2,832 in Surfers Paradise, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

135

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
Learn more

Surfers Paradise Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Richmond
Learn more

Richmond Living Index

Jump to prices

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,832

/mo nomad

Richmond

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,459

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Surfers Paradise and in Richmond

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Surfers Paradise and in Richmond actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,832 in Surfers Paradise versus $2,459 in Richmond.

Surfers Paradise $2,832
Richmond $2,459

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,395 in Surfers Paradise versus $3,502 in Richmond.

Surfers Paradise $4,395
Richmond $3,502

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,958 in Surfers Paradise versus $4,545 in Richmond.

Surfers Paradise $5,958
Richmond $4,545

Living in Surfers Paradise is roughly 15% more expensive than in Richmond, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Surfers Paradise 108% above, Richmond 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$24.70

$16.21 CA$22.64

7.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 A$147

$71.6 CA$100

44.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.62

$9.08 CA$12.69

20.93%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.85

$4.22 CA$5.89

-2.61%

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

$2.80 A$3.98

$2.04 CA$2.85

37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 A$3.45

$1.54 CA$2.15

57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 A$11.00

$5.42 CA$7.57

42.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.73 A$10.99

$5.56 CA$7.77

39.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 A$2.33

$2.20 CA$3.07

-25.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.77

$2.16 CA$3.01

22.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.43

$2.36 CA$3.29

2.12%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.10

$3.15 CA$4.40

58.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 A$12.71

$8.84 CA$12.35

1.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.39 A$13.35

$10.81 CA$15.10

-13.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.52 A$20.65

$9.74 CA$13.61

49.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.80 A$5.40

$2.65 CA$3.70

43.40%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.28

$1.29 CA$1.81

133.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.84

$2.63 CA$3.68

29.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.77 A$6.78

$3.63 CA$5.07

31.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.03

$2.10 CA$2.93

35.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.51

$1.80 CA$2.51

37.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.27

$2.03 CA$2.84

13.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 A$2.87

$1.22 CA$1.70

65.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.26 A$55.8

$14.39 CA$20.10

172.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.09 A$20.05

$12.73 CA$17.79

10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.01 A$8.55

$2.18 CA$3.05

175.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.95 A$7.04

$2.18 CA$3.05

127.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 A$0.52

$2.17 CA$3.03

-83.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.5 CA$111

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 A$3.02

$2.98 CA$4.16

-28.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.26

$1.39 CA$1.95

14.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.52 A$51.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.34 CA$1.87

2.24%

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

$29.3K A$41.6K

$26.7K CA$37.3K

9.56%

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

$25.6K A$36.5K

$20.8K CA$29.1K

23.17%

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

$214 A$305

$132 CA$184

62.47%

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

$30.45 A$43.31

$32.35 CA$45.19

-5.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$81.1

$46.70 CA$65.3

22.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 A$97.1

$23.75 CA$33.18

187.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.88 A$21.16

$2.41 CA$3.37

517.43%

Cinema Ticket

$13.86 A$19.71

$12.46 CA$17.40

11.24%

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

$1,999 A$2,843

$800 CA$1,117

150.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.1K

$10.7K CA$14.9K

19.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.9 A$118

$53.2 CA$74.3

55.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 A$77.7

$32.29 CA$45.11

69.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 A$156

$95.4 CA$133

15.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$174

$118 CA$165

3.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,935 A$2,752

$1,831 CA$2,558

5.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 A$2,248

$1,409 CA$1,968

12.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,857 A$5,486

$2,523 CA$3,524

52.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,066 A$4,361

$2,140 CA$2,989

43.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,860 A$8,335

$8,487 CA$11.9K

-30.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,823 A$6,859

$6,437 CA$8,993

-25.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,221 A$4,581

$3,072 CA$4,292

4.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

4.77

21.80%

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

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 27, 2026

Last update for Richmond: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.8%

Richmond

$1.4K 57.3% 10.9% $172

Groceries & Markets

Surfers Paradise

$379 13.4%

Richmond

$298 12.1% 21.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surfers Paradise

$302 10.7%

Richmond

$211 8.6% 30.1% $91

Eating Out

Surfers Paradise

$296 10.5%

Richmond

$260 10.6% 12.2% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9%

Richmond

$135 5.5% 19.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Surfers Paradise

$96 3.4%

Richmond

$49 2% 49.3% $47

Getting Around

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4%

Richmond

$98 4% 752% $87

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,935 in Surfers Paradise and $1,831 in Richmond. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Surfers Paradise pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $103 in Surfers Paradise vs $72 in Richmond for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $298 per month, with Richmond cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🇨🇦 Richmond

🕒 Local time

17:33 5:33 PM

00:33 12:33 AM

17 h behind Surfers Paradise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,668

198,309

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surfers Paradise Richmond 11,880 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Surfers Paradise
Richmond

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

Surfers Paradise vs Richmond: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Richmond wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Surfers Paradise. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Richmond the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Surfers Paradise, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,935 in Surfers Paradise versus $1,831 in Richmond. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,999 in Surfers Paradise versus $800 in Richmond. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Richmond – a meal for two runs $72 versus $103 in Surfers Paradise. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Richmond is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Richmond wins on affordability, Surfers Paradise on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.