Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Brisbane 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Brisbane is 14.2% lower than in Sydney (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Brisbane is 20.5% lower than in Sydney
Rent Prices in Brisbane are 31.3% lower than in Sydney
Restaurant Prices in Brisbane are 0.1% higher than in Sydney
Groceries Prices in Brisbane are 5.2% lower than in Sydney
Local Purchasing Power in Brisbane is 16.7% higher than in Sydney
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Sydney Edit Brisbane Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 25.00 A$ 25.00 A$      0.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 120.00 A$ 109.00 A$      -9.2 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 15.00 A$ 15.50 A$      +3.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 10.00 A$ 12.00 A$      +20.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 11.00 A$ 12.00 A$      +9.1 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.13 A$ 5.65 A$      +10.1 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 3.93 A$ 4.22 A$      +7.3 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 3.07 A$ 3.38 A$      +10.0 %
Markets
Sydney Edit Brisbane Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 9.74 A$ 8.97 A$      -8.0 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.86 A$ 3.14 A$      -18.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.75 A$ 1.25 A$      -29.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 7.47 A$ 6.69 A$      -10.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 6.94 A$ 5.83 A$      -16.0 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.83 A$ 5.89 A$      +1.1 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 9.54 A$ 9.68 A$      +1.4 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.32 A$ 2.22 A$      -4.3 %
Banana (1 lb) 1.94 A$ 1.94 A$      +0.0 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.19 A$ 2.02 A$      -7.8 %
Tomato (1 lb) 3.00 A$ 2.83 A$      -5.6 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.72 A$ 1.70 A$      -1.1 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.61 A$ 1.53 A$      -4.7 %
Lettuce (1 head) 3.40 A$ 3.29 A$      -3.3 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.94 A$ 1.80 A$      -6.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 22.00 A$ 20.00 A$      -9.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 7.47 A$ 6.55 A$      -12.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.61 A$ 6.03 A$      -30.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 50.00 A$ 50.00 A$      0.0 %
Transportation
Sydney Edit Brisbane Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 5.00 A$ 0.50 A$      -90.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 217.39 A$ 40.00 A$      -81.6 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 7.00 A$ 3.50 A$      -50.0 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 8.05 A$ 4.02 A$      -50.0 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 80.00 A$ 51.60 A$      -35.5 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 7.18 A$ 7.20 A$      +0.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 44,423.00 A$ 43,211.50 A$      -2.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 34,214.26 A$ 34,173.44 A$      -0.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Sydney Edit Brisbane Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 308.80 A$ 221.53 A$      -28.3 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 40.91 A$ 38.82 A$      -5.1 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 79.62 A$ 82.71 A$      +3.9 %
Sports And Leisure
Sydney Edit Brisbane Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 88.95 A$ 79.08 A$      -11.1 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 32.27 A$ 27.00 A$      -16.3 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 24.00 A$ 20.00 A$      -16.7 %
Childcare
Sydney Edit Brisbane Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 3,209.41 A$ 2,426.38 A$      -24.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 27,325.96 A$ 12,887.60 A$      -52.8 %
Clothing And Shoes
Sydney Edit Brisbane Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 118.50 A$ 108.14 A$      -8.7 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 88.91 A$ 64.80 A$      -27.1 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 159.17 A$ 149.44 A$      -6.1 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 196.53 A$ 155.61 A$      -20.8 %
Rent Per Month
Sydney Edit Brisbane Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 3,327.65 A$ 2,477.55 A$      -25.5 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 2,306.01 A$ 1,901.74 A$      -17.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 6,785.49 A$ 4,026.00 A$      -40.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 4,079.83 A$ 2,925.60 A$      -28.3 %
Buy Apartment Price
Sydney Edit Brisbane Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,954.15 A$ 1,209.88 A$      -38.1 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,139.44 A$ 823.73 A$      -27.7 %
Salaries And Financing
Sydney Edit Brisbane Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 6,554.72 A$ 6,081.38 A$      -7.2 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.35 6.24      -1.7 %
Last update: May 2025May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:315257