Sydney vs Brisbane Cost of Living

Sydney (Australia) · Overall index 73.6Brisbane (Australia) · Overall index 63.5

Summary

  • Overall, Brisbane is 14% cheaper than Sydney.
  • Rent in Brisbane is 27% cheaper than in Sydney.
  • Groceries in Brisbane is 12% cheaper than in Sydney.
ItemSydneyBrisbaneDiff
Rent-27%
1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$2,565$1,790-30%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$1,647$1,190-28%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$5,117$3,744-27%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$3,039$2,353-23%
Groceries-12%
Milk (1L)$1.21$0.95-21%
White bread (500g)$3.39$2.92-14%
Rice (1kg)$3.94$3.8-4%
Eggs (12)$4.39$3.56-19%
Local cheese (1kg)$11.4$10.2-11%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$12.4$9.82-21%
Beef round (1kg)$17.4$15.8-9%
Apples (1kg)$5.02$4.16-17%
Bananas (1kg)$1.93$1.63-16%
Oranges (1kg)$4.29$3.84-10%
Tomatoes (1kg)$5.4$4.91-9%
Potatoes (1kg)$2.41$2.54+5%
Onions (1kg)$2.68$2.3-14%
Lettuce (1 head)$2.13$1.86-13%
Water (1.5L bottle)$2.34$2-15%
Bottle of wine (mid-range)$12.2$12.6+3%
Transport-10%
Public transport, one-way ticket$2.2$2.11-4%
Public transport, monthly pass$108$87.3-19%
Taxi, base fare$3.3$2.64-20%
Taxi, per km$1.42$1.4-1%
Gasoline (1L)$0.85$0.75-12%
New compact car (e.g., VW Golf)$21,959$21,025-4%
Dining out-9%
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$20.9$17.6-16%
Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)$92.8$91.8-1%
Fast food combo meal$9.43$8.45-10%
Cappuccino$4.57$4.38-4%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant)$2.1$1.8-14%
Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant)$5.5$5.69+3%
Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant)$7.76$6.69-14%
Water (0.33L, restaurant)$1.81$1.53-15%
Telecom-2%
Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly)$49.8$51.9+4%
Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly)$52.8$57.4+9%
Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min)$0.31$0.25-19%
Video streaming subscription (monthly)$14.2$13.9-2%
Utilities & household-10%
Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly)$149$124-17%
Electricity (1 kWh)$0.21$0.17-19%
Tap water (1m³)$3.73$3.4-9%
Natural gas (1m³)$1.38$1.1-20%
Waste collection (monthly)$18.6$18.4-1%
Fitness club (monthly)$66.5$70.2+6%
Cinema ticket (1 seat)$12.6$11.1-12%
Men's haircut$29.2$23.3-20%
Domestic cleaning (1 hour)$20.8$21.3+2%
Private kindergarten (monthly)$1,990$1,795-10%

3,544 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15

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