Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surfers Paradise and Wells

For one person, living is cheaper in Wells: $2,387 a month against $2,824 in Surfers Paradise, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

136

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
Learn more

Surfers Paradise Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Wells
Learn more

Wells Living Index

Jump to prices

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,824

/mo nomad

Wells

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Wells actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,824 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $2,387 in Wells, rent included.

Surfers Paradise $2,824
Wells $2,387

A couple spends around $4,398 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $3,377 in Wells, rent included.

Surfers Paradise $4,398
Wells $3,377

A family of three spends $5,973 per month in Surfers Paradise vs $4,367 in Wells, rent included.

Surfers Paradise $5,973
Wells $4,367

Surfers Paradise costs about 18% more than Wells, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Surfers Paradise and Wells sit above the global median – Surfers Paradise by 109%, Wells by 77%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 A$24.99

$19.62 £14.72

-11.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 A$151

$97.1 £72.8

8.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 A$15.62

$9.52 £7.14

13.97%

Cappuccino

$4.10 A$5.90

$4.72 £3.54

-13.14%

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

$2.81 A$4.05

$2.19 £1.64

28.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 A$3.46

$2.46 £1.85

-2.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.86 A$11.31

$6.77 £5.08

16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.87 A$11.32

$6.33 £4.75

24.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.40

$1.45 £1.09

14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 A$3.89

$1.29 £0.97

109.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.46

$1.69 £1.27

42.60%

Eggs

$4.90 A$7.05

$3.92 £2.94

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 A$12.49

$8.55 £6.41

1.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 A$13.07

$4.62 £3.47

96.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 A$20.83

$12.05 £9.04

20.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.65

$2.99 £2.24

31.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.43

$1.35 £1.01

128.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 A$4.85

$2.16 £1.62

56.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.97

$3.14 £2.35

54.14%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.06

$0.77 £0.58

266.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$1.33 £1.00

83.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.44

$1.52 £1.14

57.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 A$2.98

$1.77 £1.33

16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$37.58 A$54.1

$23.49 £17.62

59.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 A$20.52

$9.38 £7.04

52.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.97 A$8.59

$3.37 £2.53

77.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 A$7.36

$2.59 £1.95

97.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 A$0.49

$3.45 £2.59

-90.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.9 £72.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 A$3.02

$5.67 £4.25

-62.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 A$2.33

$1.08 £0.81

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.24 A$50.7

$23.91 £17.94

47.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.86

$1.99 £1.50

-34.67%

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

$27.0K A$38.9K

$37.6K £28.2K

-28.15%

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

$28.3K A$40.8K

$40.5K £30.4K

-29.99%

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

$212 A$305

$466 £349

-54.44%

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

$29.92 A$43.06

$13.39 £10.04

123.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 A$79.8

$40.29 £30.23

37.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.1 A$95.1

$45.14 £33.87

46.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.45 A$20.80

Cinema Ticket

$17.42 A$25.06

$12.78 £9.59

36.31%

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

$1,944 A$2,798

$1,444 £1,083

34.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K A$17.8K

$17.1K £12.9K

-27.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.1 A$120

$36.71 £27.54

126.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 A$79.2

$31.79 £23.85

73.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$59.6 £44.67

86.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 A$175

$75.5 £56.6

60.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,912 A$2,752

$1,237 £928

54.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,570 A$2,260

$1,022 £766

53.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,770 A$5,425

$2,077 £1,558

81.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,067 A$4,413

$1,555 £1,167

97.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,895 A$8,483

$4,978 £3,735

18.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,954 A$7,128

$3,881 £2,912

27.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,288 A$4,731

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.11

13.70%

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

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 12, 2026

Last update for Wells: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.6%

Wells

$1K 42.8% 35% $549

Groceries & Markets

Surfers Paradise

$380 13.5%

Wells

$255 10.7% 32.9% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surfers Paradise

$298 10.5%

Wells

$520 21.8% 74.6% $222

Eating Out

Surfers Paradise

$297 10.5%

Wells

$307 12.9% 3.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9%

Wells

$92 3.8% 45% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Surfers Paradise

$101 3.6%

Wells

$71 3% 29.9% $30

Getting Around

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4%

Wells

$122 5.1% 953% $110

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,912 in Surfers Paradise versus $1,237 in Wells. 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 $105 in Surfers Paradise versus $97.0 in Wells. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $380 vs $255 – making Wells the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🇬🇧 Wells

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

16:52 4:52 PM

9 h behind Surfers Paradise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,668

11,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

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).

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).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surfers Paradise Wells 16,750 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Surfers Paradise
Wells

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 Wells: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Surfers Paradise is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,235 per month in Surfers Paradise and $3,581 in Wells. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wells, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,824 in Surfers Paradise and $2,387 in Wells. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $1,944 per month in Surfers Paradise and $1,444 in Wells. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Wells, where all-in costs run around $2,387, than in Surfers Paradise at $2,824. In Wells it covers expenses comfortably, while in Surfers Paradise it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Wells – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Wells. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Surfers Paradise makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.