Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wakefield and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakefield: $2,009 a month against $2,518 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Wakefield
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,009
/mo nomad
Brisbane
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,518
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wakefield and in Brisbane

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

A single person spends $2,009 per month in Wakefield vs $2,518 in Brisbane, rent included.

  • Wakefield $2,009
  • Brisbane $2,518

A couple spends around $3,209 per month in Wakefield vs $3,720 in Brisbane, rent included.

  • Wakefield $3,209
  • Brisbane $3,720

A family of three spends $4,410 per month in Wakefield vs $4,922 in Brisbane, rent included.

  • Wakefield $4,410
  • Brisbane $4,922

Wakefield is about 20% cheaper than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Wakefield and Brisbane sit above the global median – Wakefield by 48%, Brisbane by 86%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Wakefield
Brisbane
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.71 £14.79
$17.39 A$25.02
13.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.2 £62.4
$70.9 A$102
17.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.70 £7.28
$11.09 A$15.95
-12.53%
Cappuccino
$4.26 £3.19
$4.43 A$6.38
-3.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 £1.75
$2.90 A$4.17
-19.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 £1.02
$2.43 A$3.49
-44.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.93 £4.45
$8.42 A$12.12
-29.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.38 £4.03
$8.31 A$11.96
-35.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Wakefield
Brisbane
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 £1.07
$1.67 A$2.40
-14.37%
White Bread (500g)
$1.88 £1.41
$2.72 A$3.92
-30.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.63 £1.97
$2.29 A$3.29
14.85%
Eggs
$4.05 £3.04
$4.82 A$6.94
-15.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.62 £5.72
$9.06 A$13.03
-15.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.34 £6.25
$9.18 A$13.21
-9.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.06 £10.55
$14.21 A$20.45
-1.06%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 £2.25
$4.31 A$6.20
-30.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 £1.06
$3.04 A$4.38
-53.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.56 £1.92
$3.00 A$4.32
-14.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.87 £2.15
$4.75 A$6.84
-39.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.81 £1.36
$2.72 A$3.92
-33.46%
Onion (1kg)
$1.61 £1.21
$2.34 A$3.37
-31.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.21 £0.91
$2.42 A$3.48
-50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 £1.09
$1.19 A$1.71
21.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$22.52 £16.90
$38.67 A$55.7
-41.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.76 £8.07
$12.66 A$18.21
-15.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.42 £2.56
$5.40 A$7.77
-36.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 £2.49
$5.13 A$7.38
-35.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Wakefield
Brisbane
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.30 £2.47
$0.37 A$0.53
791.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$105 £78.5
$20.72 A$29.81
405.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.25 £3.94
$2.92 A$4.20
79.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 £1.07
$1.86 A$2.68
-23.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.75 £11.81
$41.05 A$59.1
-61.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 £1.54
$1.40 A$2.01
46.43%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K £28.6K
$29.7K A$42.8K
28.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K £30.6K
$26.0K A$37.4K
57.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wakefield
Brisbane
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$342 £256
$159 A$229
114.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.54 £11.66
$26.52 A$38.16
-41.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.64 £31.99
$60.6 A$87.2
-29.63%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Wakefield
Brisbane
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.62 £25.97
$60.9 A$87.6
-43.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.07 £20.31
$22.22 A$31.97
21.83%
Cinema Ticket
$13.89 £10.42
$14.14 A$20.34
-1.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Wakefield
Brisbane
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,217 £913
$1,952 A$2,808
-37.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.5K £18.4K
$12.7K A$18.3K
92.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Wakefield
Brisbane
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.9 £66.0
$83.3 A$120
5.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.1 £40.57
$43.69 A$62.9
23.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.5 £67.9
$113 A$163
-20.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$90.6 £68.0
$111 A$160
-18.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Wakefield
Brisbane
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$983 £737
$1,939 A$2,790
-49.30%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$688 £516
$1,322 A$1,902
-47.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,151 £1,614
$3,408 A$4,904
-36.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,578 £1,184
$2,242 A$3,226
-29.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,045 £3,034
$8,271 A$11.9K
-51.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,678 £2,009
$5,920 A$8,518
-54.75%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Wakefield
Brisbane
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,420 £1,816
$4,183 A$6,020
-42.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.77
5.81
-17.90%

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

Last update for Wakefield: October 18, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Wakefield
$688
Brisbane
$1.3K 92.3% $634
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Wakefield
$400
Brisbane
$246 38.4% $154
Eating Out
Wakefield
$293
Brisbane
$306 4.3% $13
Groceries & Markets
Wakefield
$291
Brisbane
$363 24.9% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Wakefield
$145
Brisbane
$158 8.7% $13
Getting Around
Wakefield
$130
Brisbane
$34 73.6% $96
Sport & Entertainment
Wakefield
$62
Brisbane
$89 42.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $983 in Wakefield versus $1,939 in Brisbane. 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 73% higher in Brisbane, 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 $83.0 in Wakefield versus $71.0 in Brisbane. Groceries tell a different story – $291 in Wakefield vs $363 in Brisbane – so Wakefield wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Wakefield
🇦🇺 Brisbane
🕒 Local time
16:16 4:16 PM
01:16 1:16 AM
9 h ahead of Wakefield
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
322,300
2,287,896
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Wakefield Brisbane 16,430 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Wakefield
  • Brisbane

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
Wakefield vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Wakefield or Brisbane?
Brisbane costs about 25% more than Wakefield, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Wakefield and in Brisbane?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,014 per month in Wakefield and $3,777 in Brisbane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Wakefield or Brisbane?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Wakefield, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Wakefield or in Brisbane?
Groceries cost about 25% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Wakefield and in Brisbane?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $83.0 in Wakefield and $71.0 in Brisbane. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,500/month in Wakefield or in Brisbane?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Wakefield, where all-in costs run around $2,009, than in Brisbane at $2,518. In Wakefield it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Wakefield – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Wakefield compared to Brisbane?
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.
Should I move to Wakefield or to Brisbane?
If budget matters most, go with Wakefield. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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