Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wollongong and Brandon, MB

For one person, living is cheaper in Brandon, MB: $1,622 a month against $2,467 in Wollongong, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
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Wollongong Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Brandon, MB
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Brandon, MB Living Index

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Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,467

/mo nomad

Brandon, MB

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,622

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Wollongong and in Brandon, MB

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

A single person spends $2,467 per month in Wollongong vs $1,622 in Brandon, MB, rent included.

Wollongong $2,467
Brandon, MB $1,622

A couple spends around $3,619 per month in Wollongong vs $2,588 in Brandon, MB, rent included.

Wollongong $3,619
Brandon, MB $2,588

A family of three spends $4,772 per month in Wollongong vs $3,555 in Brandon, MB, rent included.

Wollongong $4,772
Brandon, MB $3,555

Wollongong costs about 52% more than Brandon, MB, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Wollongong and Brandon, MB sit above the global median – Wollongong by 81%, Brandon, MB by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.38 A$24.62

$14.30 CA$20.01

21.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.8 A$119

$64.9 CA$90.8

29.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 A$15.10

$10.61 CA$14.84

0.47%

Cappuccino

$3.47 A$4.92

$3.15 CA$4.40

10.16%

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

$3.03 A$4.30

$1.81 CA$2.53

67.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.23

$1.65 CA$2.31

38.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 A$10.16

$4.20 CA$5.87

70.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.05 A$9.99

$5.33 CA$7.46

32.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.68

$1.46 CA$2.04

-18.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.21

$1.98 CA$2.77

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.13

$3.20 CA$4.48

-30.94%

Eggs

$3.96 A$5.61

$3.05 CA$4.27

29.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.35 A$14.66

$9.60 CA$13.42

7.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 A$13.36

$10.64 CA$14.89

-11.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 A$22.22

$16.28 CA$22.77

-3.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.12

$3.28 CA$4.59

-11.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.60

$1.35 CA$1.89

88.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.73

$3.44 CA$4.82

-2.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.71 A$6.67

$3.21 CA$4.50

46.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.28

$2.28 CA$3.19

1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.66

$2.63 CA$3.68

-1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.59

$2.48 CA$3.46

2.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.28 CA$1.80

4.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.34 A$64.2

$15.17 CA$21.22

198.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 A$19.70

$12.22 CA$17.09

13.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.48 A$6.35

$2.40 CA$3.35

86.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.90

$2.20 CA$3.07

121.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 A$3.32

$1.33 CA$1.86

76.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$138 A$196

$68.8 CA$96.2

100.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.64

$2.86 CA$3.99

39.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.21

$1.33 CA$1.86

17.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.53 A$61.7

$24.08 CA$33.68

80.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.04 CA$1.45

27.88%

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

$28.5K A$40.4K

$26.8K CA$37.4K

6.69%

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

$24.8K A$35.1K

$20.6K CA$28.9K

20.06%

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

$186 A$263

$163 CA$228

14.06%

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

$26.37 A$37.36

$34.19 CA$47.82

-22.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.87 A$70.7

$48.55 CA$67.9

2.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 A$86.9

$42.73 CA$59.8

43.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.78 A$19.52

$16.36 CA$22.88

-15.77%

Cinema Ticket

$13.51 A$19.14

$10.61 CA$14.84

27.33%

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

$2,193 A$3,107

$1,009 CA$1,411

117.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$28.7K

$18.4K CA$25.8K

9.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 A$100

$43.86 CA$61.3

61.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 A$79.0

$42.65 CA$59.7

30.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$151

$69.8 CA$97.6

52.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 A$156

$85.8 CA$120

28.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$1,984

$798 CA$1,116

75.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 A$1,646

$568 CA$794

104.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,398 A$3,397

$1,387 CA$1,940

72.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,597

$1,191 CA$1,666

53.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,469 A$6,330

$2,308 CA$3,229

93.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,568 A$5,055

$2,300 CA$3,217

55.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,107 A$7,234

$2,504 CA$3,502

103.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

4.45

17.53%

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

Last update for Wollongong: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brandon, MB: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wollongong

$1.2K 47.1%

Brandon, MB

$568 35% 51.1% $594

Groceries & Markets

Wollongong

$357 14.5%

Brandon, MB

$323 19.9% 9.5% $34

Eating Out

Wollongong

$284 11.5%

Brandon, MB

$230 14.2% 19.2% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wollongong

$262 10.6%

Brandon, MB

$246 15.1% 6.3% $16

Getting Around

Wollongong

$159 6.5%

Brandon, MB

$84 5.2% 47.5% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Wollongong

$155 6.3%

Brandon, MB

$109 6.7% 29.5% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Wollongong

$88 3.6%

Brandon, MB

$64 3.9% 27.6% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,400 in Wollongong versus $798 in Brandon, MB. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Wollongong are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Wollongong versus $65 in Brandon, MB. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $323 – making Brandon, MB the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🇨🇦 Brandon, MB

🕒 Local time

11:22 11:22 AM

19:22 7:22 PM

16 h behind Wollongong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

280,153

46,061

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.642 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wollongong Brandon, MB 14,160 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Wollongong
Brandon, MB

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

Wollongong vs Brandon, MB: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Wollongong is pricier by about 52%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,700 per month in Wollongong and $2,433 in Brandon, MB. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Brandon, MB, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $798 there versus $1,400 in Wollongong.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Wollongong, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Wollongong and $65 in Brandon, MB. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Brandon, MB – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Brandon, MB. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wollongong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.