Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wells and Surfers Paradise

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.

116

Cost of Living Index in Wells
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Wells Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Surfers Paradise
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Surfers Paradise Living Index

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Wells

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,387

/mo nomad

Surfers Paradise

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,824

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Wells $2,387
Surfers Paradise $2,824

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

Wells $3,377
Surfers Paradise $4,398

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

Wells $4,367
Surfers Paradise $5,973

Wells is about 15% cheaper than Surfers Paradise, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 £14.72

$17.36 A$24.99

13.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 £72.8

$105 A$151

-7.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.52 £7.14

$10.85 A$15.62

-12.26%

Cappuccino

$4.72 £3.54

$4.10 A$5.90

15.12%

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

$2.19 £1.64

$2.81 A$4.05

-22.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.85

$2.40 A$3.46

2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.77 £5.08

$7.86 A$11.31

-13.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.33 £4.75

$7.87 A$11.32

-19.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.09

$1.66 A$2.40

-12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 £0.97

$2.70 A$3.89

-52.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$2.41 A$3.46

-29.88%

Eggs

$3.92 £2.94

$4.90 A$7.05

-20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.55 £6.41

$8.68 A$12.49

-1.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 £3.47

$9.09 A$13.07

-49.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.05 £9.04

$14.47 A$20.83

-16.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$3.92 A$5.65

-23.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$3.08 A$4.43

-56.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 £1.62

$3.37 A$4.85

-35.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 £2.35

$4.84 A$6.97

-35.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 £0.58

$2.82 A$4.06

-72.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$2.44 A$3.50

-45.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 £1.14

$2.39 A$3.44

-36.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$2.07 A$2.98

-14.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.49 £17.62

$37.58 A$54.1

-37.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.38 £7.04

$14.26 A$20.52

-34.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 £2.53

$5.97 A$8.59

-43.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 £1.95

$5.12 A$7.36

-49.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 £2.59

$0.34 A$0.49

914.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.9 £72.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 £4.25

$2.10 A$3.02

170.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 £0.81

$1.62 A$2.33

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.91 £17.94

$35.24 A$50.7

-32.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.50

$1.30 A$1.86

53.08%

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

$37.6K £28.2K

$27.0K A$38.9K

39.18%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$28.3K A$40.8K

42.85%

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

$466 £349

$212 A$305

119.48%

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

$13.39 £10.04

$29.92 A$43.06

-55.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.29 £30.23

$55.4 A$79.8

-27.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.14 £33.87

$66.1 A$95.1

-31.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.45 A$20.80

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 £9.59

$17.42 A$25.06

-26.64%

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

$1,444 £1,083

$1,944 A$2,798

-25.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K £12.9K

$12.4K A$17.8K

38.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.71 £27.54

$83.1 A$120

-55.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.79 £23.85

$55.1 A$79.2

-42.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.6 £44.67

$111 A$160

-46.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.5 £56.6

$121 A$175

-37.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,237 £928

$1,912 A$2,752

-35.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 £766

$1,570 A$2,260

-34.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 £1,558

$3,770 A$5,425

-44.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,555 £1,167

$3,067 A$4,413

-49.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,978 £3,735

$5,895 A$8,483

-15.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 £2,912

$4,954 A$7,128

-21.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,288 A$4,731

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

5.81

-12.05%

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

Last update for Wells: October 11, 2026

Last update for Surfers Paradise: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wells

$1K 42.8%

Surfers Paradise

$1.6K 55.6% 53.7% $549

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wells

$520 21.8%

Surfers Paradise

$298 10.5% 42.7% $222

Eating Out

Wells

$307 12.9%

Surfers Paradise

$297 10.5% 3.5% $11

Groceries & Markets

Wells

$255 10.7%

Surfers Paradise

$380 13.5% 48.9% $125

Getting Around

Wells

$122 5.1%

Surfers Paradise

$12 * 0.4% 90.5% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Wells

$92 3.8%

Surfers Paradise

$167 5.9% 82% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Wells

$71 3%

Surfers Paradise

$101 3.6% 42.7% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇬🇧 Wells

🇦🇺 Surfers Paradise

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

01:22 1:22 AM

9 h ahead of Wells

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,000

19,668

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Wells
Surfers Paradise

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

Wells vs Surfers Paradise: 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 $3,581 per month in Wells and $4,235 in Surfers Paradise. 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 $2,387 in Wells and $2,824 in Surfers Paradise. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $1,444 per month in Wells and $1,944 in Surfers Paradise. 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.