Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toowoomba and Balzan

For one person, living is cheaper in Balzan: $1,909 a month against $2,110 in Toowoomba, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Toowoomba
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,110
/mo nomad
Balzan
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,909
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Toowoomba and in Balzan

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

A single person spends $2,110 per month in Toowoomba vs $1,909 in Balzan, rent included.

  • Toowoomba $2,110
  • Balzan $1,909

A couple spends around $2,921 per month in Toowoomba vs $2,866 in Balzan, rent included.

  • Toowoomba $2,921
  • Balzan $2,866

A family of three spends $3,732 per month in Toowoomba vs $3,822 in Balzan, rent included.

  • Toowoomba $3,732
  • Balzan $3,822

Toowoomba costs about 10% more than Balzan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Toowoomba and Balzan sit above the global median – Toowoomba by 56%, Balzan by 41%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Toowoomba
Balzan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.56 A$23.82
$18.28 €16.26
-9.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$72.1 A$104
$89.1 €79.2
-19.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.30 A$13.38
$12.05 €10.72
-22.82%
Cappuccino
$3.81 A$5.48
$3.22 €2.86
18.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 A$3.90
$1.99 €1.77
36.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 A$3.37
$1.02 €0.90
129.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.78 A$9.75
$3.39 €3.02
100.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.10 A$10.22
$2.56 €2.27
177.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Toowoomba
Balzan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.50 A$2.16
$1.21 €1.08
23.97%
White Bread (500g)
$2.27 A$3.27
$0.92 €0.82
146.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 A$2.80
$3.52 €3.13
-44.89%
Eggs
$4.55 A$6.55
$4.28 €3.81
6.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.62 A$12.40
$10.12 €9.00
-14.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.89 A$12.79
$8.68 €7.72
2.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.73 A$16.87
$12.44 €11.07
-5.71%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.53
$2.52 €2.24
25.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.79 A$2.58
$1.96 €1.74
-8.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.37 A$1.97
$1.78 €1.58
-23.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.15 A$3.09
$1.09 €0.97
97.25%
Potato (1kg)
$2.49 A$3.59
$0.91 €0.81
173.63%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 A$3.20
$0.92 €0.82
142.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.39 A$3.45
$0.87 €0.78
174.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 A$1.42
$0.99 €0.88
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$34.77 A$50.0
$6.18 €5.50
462.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.72 A$19.75
$6.10 €5.43
124.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.59 A$6.60
$1.05 €0.93
337.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.53 A$9.39
$1.47 €1.31
344.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Toowoomba
Balzan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.04 A$4.38
$3.11 €2.76
-2.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.22 A$3.20
$2.18 €1.94
1.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.61 A$2.31
$1.82 €1.62
-11.54%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$34.11 A$49.08
$32.50 €28.90
4.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 A$1.90
$1.48 €1.32
-10.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K A$38.4K
$27.3K €24.3K
-2.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.3K A$33.5K
$32.6K €29.0K
-28.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toowoomba
Balzan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$74.5 A$107
$155 €138
-52.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.11 A$43.33
$19.91 €17.71
51.23%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.1 A$77.8
$29.16 €25.93
85.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Toowoomba
Balzan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.16 A$59.2
$55.9 €49.75
-26.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.69 A$25.46
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.85 A$19.92
$11.14 €9.90
24.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Toowoomba
Balzan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,039 A$2,934
$273 €243
645.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,996 A$10.1K
$12.4K €11.0K
-43.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Toowoomba
Balzan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.1 A$108
$56.3 €50.1
33.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.8 A$77.4
$68.8 €61.2
-21.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.8 A$108
$111 €99.1
-32.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 A$176
$128 €114
-4.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Toowoomba
Balzan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,215 A$1,748
$1,108 €985
9.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,130 A$1,626
$943 €839
19.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,618 A$2,328
$1,773 €1,577
-8.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,409 A$2,028
$1,488 €1,324
-5.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,392 A$4,881
$4,056 €3,607
-16.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,674 A$3,847
$2,866 €2,549
-6.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Toowoomba
Balzan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,869 A$5,567
$1,014 €902
281.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.69
4.05
40.49%

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

Last update for Toowoomba: October 11, 2026

Last update for Balzan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Toowoomba
$1.1K
Balzan
$943 16.6% $187
Groceries & Markets
Toowoomba
$309
Balzan
$241 21.9% $68
Eating Out
Toowoomba
$274
Balzan
$255 7% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Toowoomba
$159
Balzan
$204 28.8% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Toowoomba
$147
Balzan
$164 11.8% $17
Sport & Entertainment
Toowoomba
$69
Balzan
$78 13.6% $9.4
Getting Around
Toowoomba
$22 *
Balzan
$24 * 5.8% $1.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,215 in Toowoomba versus $1,108 in Balzan. 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 281% higher in Toowoomba, 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 $72.0 in Toowoomba versus $89.0 in Balzan. Groceries tell a different story – $309 in Toowoomba vs $241 in Balzan – so Balzan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Toowoomba
🇲🇹 Balzan
🕒 Local time
02:40 2:40 AM
18:40 6:40 PM
8 h behind Toowoomba
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
108,398
4,700
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Toowoomba Balzan 15,920 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Toowoomba
  • Balzan

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
Toowoomba vs Balzan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Toowoomba and in Balzan compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,110 in Toowoomba, $1,909 in Balzan – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Toowoomba compared to Balzan?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,165 per month in Toowoomba and $2,864 in Balzan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Toowoomba and Balzan?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Balzan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $72.0 in Toowoomba and $89.0 in Balzan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 28% more in Toowoomba, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Balzan, where all-in costs run around $1,909, than in Toowoomba at $2,110. In Balzan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toowoomba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Toowoomba or Balzan?
Families tend to lean toward Balzan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Toowoomba or Balzan safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Toowoomba and Balzan?
If budget matters most, go with Balzan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Toowoomba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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