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

😐 Solo nomad: Sydney is 18.8% more expensive than Brisbane without rent, and 19.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sydney is 18.2% more expensive than Brisbane without rent, and 26.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.43 A$23.49
$16.37 A$23.41
0.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.8 A$111
$70.9 A$101
9.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.74 A$13.93
$9.70 A$13.87
0.41%
Cappuccino
$3.43 A$4.91
$3.66 A$5.23
-6.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.52 A$3.60
$2.64 A$3.78
-4.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 A$2.86
$2.16 A$3.09
-7.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.42 A$9.17
$6.54 A$9.35
-1.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.25 A$10.37
$7.76 A$11.10
-6.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 A$2.31
$1.56 A$2.22
3.85%
White Bread (500g)
$2.68 A$3.83
$2.19 A$3.14
22.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 A$3.26
$1.81 A$2.59
25.97%
Eggs
$4.92 A$7.03
$4.33 A$6.19
13.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.68 A$12.41
$8.08 A$11.55
7.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.32 A$11.90
$8.15 A$11.65
2.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.11 A$20.18
$13.33 A$19.07
5.85%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 A$4.65
$3.24 A$4.64
0.31%
Banana (1kg)
$2.75 A$3.93
$2.84 A$4.07
-3.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.02 A$4.32
$2.62 A$3.75
15.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.41 A$6.30
$4.40 A$6.29
0.23%
Potato (1kg)
$2.53 A$3.61
$2.44 A$3.48
3.69%
Onion (1kg)
$2.32 A$3.32
$2.35 A$3.36
-1.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.12 A$3.03
$2.15 A$3.07
-1.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.29 A$1.84
$1.29 A$1.85
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.61 A$46.63
$33.08 A$47.31
-1.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.12 A$21.62
$12.89 A$18.43
17.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.89 A$6.99
$4.53 A$6.48
7.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.41 A$7.73
$4.14 A$5.92
30.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.30 A$4.72
$0.35 A$0.49
842.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$141 A$201
$27.34 A$39.10
413.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.87 A$5.53
$2.29 A$3.28
69.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.91 A$4.16
$1.58 A$2.26
84.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$51.1 A$73.0
$33.51 A$47.91
52.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 A$1.72
$1.20 A$1.71
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.9K A$41.3K
$29.0K A$41.5K
-0.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.4K A$32.0K
$22.3K A$31.9K
0.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$200 A$286
$144 A$206
38.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.88 A$34.15
$25.80 A$36.89
-7.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.9 A$75.7
$52.4 A$75.0
0.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.7 A$86.8
$48.56 A$69.4
24.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.39 A$30.58
$16.90 A$24.17
26.57%
Cinema Ticket
$15.72 A$22.48
$13.17 A$18.83
19.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,052 A$2,934
$1,622 A$2,319
26.53%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.4K A$26.3K
$8,690 A$12.4K
111.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.3 A$108
$71.6 A$102
5.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.3 A$81.9
$42.89 A$61.3
33.53%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 A$150
$93.2 A$133
12.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 A$190
$100 A$144
32.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,157 A$3,085
$1,588 A$2,270
35.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,504 A$2,151
$1,247 A$1,783
20.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,399 A$6,290
$2,601 A$3,720
69.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,645 A$3,782
$1,923 A$2,750
37.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$12.0K A$17.1K
$8,024 A$11.5K
49.12%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,679 A$11.0K
$5,269 A$7,534
45.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sydney
Brisbane
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,256 A$6,087
$4,397 A$6,287
-3.19%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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