Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Brisbane Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Brisbane

😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 19.8% more expensive than Brisbane without rent, and 20.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sydney is 15.9% more expensive than Brisbane without rent, and 28.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.02 A$24.54
$16.24 A$24.88
-1.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.1 A$118
$71.2 A$109
8.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.6 A$14.7
$9.6 A$14.7
-
Cappuccino
$3.33 A$5.11
$3.6 A$5.51
-7.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.5 A$3.83
$2.74 A$4.2
-8.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2 A$3.06
$2.15 A$3.29
-6.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.33 A$9.69
$6.36 A$9.75
-0.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.09 A$10.86
$7.97 A$12.2
-11.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 A$2.59
$1.6 A$2.45
5.62%
White Bread (500g)
$2.7 A$4.13
$2.22 A$3.39
21.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.34 A$3.59
$1.8 A$2.76
30.00%
Eggs
$5.05 A$7.74
$4.47 A$6.85
12.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.65 A$13.25
$8.05 A$12.33
7.45%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.45 A$12.95
$8.09 A$12.4
4.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.8 A$21.14
$13.4 A$20.53
2.99%
Apples (1kg)
$3.18 A$4.88
$3.25 A$4.98
-2.15%
Banana (1kg)
$2.67 A$4.09
$2.75 A$4.21
-2.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 A$4.8
$2.66 A$4.07
17.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.36 A$6.67
$4.23 A$6.48
3.07%
Potato (1kg)
$2.56 A$3.92
$2.41 A$3.69
6.22%
Onion (1kg)
$2.36 A$3.62
$2.26 A$3.46
4.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.16 A$3.31
$2.24 A$3.44
-3.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 A$1.91
$1.24 A$1.89
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$31.93 A$48.92
$32.96 A$50.5
-3.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.43 A$20.58
$13.07 A$20.02
2.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.8 A$7.35
$4.47 A$6.85
7.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.26 A$8.06
$4.04 A$6.19
30.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.19 A$4.88
$0.34 A$0.53
838.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$139 A$212
$26.98 A$41.33
413.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.79 A$5.81
$2.23 A$3.41
69.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.96 A$4.54
$1.56 A$2.4
89.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$51.4 A$78.7
$33.95 A$52
51.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.2 A$1.84
$1.23 A$1.89
-2.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K A$44.9K
$28.6K A$43.8K
2.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K A$34K
$22.6K A$34.7K
-1.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$201 A$308
$144 A$221
39.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.73 A$36.35
$25.53 A$39.11
-7.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.1 A$81.3
$53.9 A$82.6
-1.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.5 A$94.2
$49.01 A$75.1
25.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.64 A$31.62
$17.02 A$26.07
21.27%
Cinema Ticket
$15.47 A$23.7
$13.17 A$20.18
17.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,109 A$3,231
$1,646 A$2,521
28.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K A$28.8K
$8,863 A$13.6K
112.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$74.8 A$115
$72.8 A$111
2.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$58.4 A$89.5
$44.21 A$67.7
32.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 A$165
$94.5 A$145
13.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 A$203
$101 A$155
30.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,205 A$3,378
$1,588 A$2,433
38.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,462 A$2,239
$1,237 A$1,894
18.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,389 A$6,724
$2,568 A$3,935
70.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,669 A$4,090
$1,885 A$2,888
41.59%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.7K A$19.5K
$8,805 A$13.5K
44.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,165 A$11K
$6,597 A$10.1K
8.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,965 A$6,074
$3,896 A$5,968
1.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
6.24
1.60%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 28, 2025

Last update for Brisbane: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.