Cost of living comparison
compared to
Cairns vs. Brisbane Cost of Living Summary
Cairns is 14.2% more expensive than Brisbane.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.9% more in Cairns
- Groceries
-
pay 3.2% more in Cairns
- Transportation
-
pay 50.2% more in Cairns
- Housing
-
pay 3.5% less in Cairns
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.7% less in Cairns
- Clothing
-
pay 30.1% more in Cairns
The cost of transportation, clothing, restaurants, and groceries in Cairns are more expensive than in Brisbane. Expenses including entertainment and sports and housing are lower in Cairns.
Cairns vs. Brisbane Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Cairns instead of Brisbane, you would:
pay 8.9% more for restaurants
|
Brisbane
|
Cairns
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$24.61
|
$13.74
A$20.68
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.46
A$15.75
|
$11.78
A$17.73
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.66
A$4.00
|
$3.14
A$4.73
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.10
A$3.16
|
$2.53
A$3.82
|
|
Brisbane vs. Cairns - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.2% more for groceries
|
Brisbane
|
Cairns
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.29
A$3.44
|
$2.62
A$3.94
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.44
A$6.69
|
$4.03
A$6.07
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.66
A$8.52
|
$6.81
A$10.25
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.52
A$6.80
|
$4.01
A$6.03
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.72
A$5.60
|
$4.76
A$7.17
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.54
A$2.32
|
$1.48
A$2.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.30
A$1.96
|
$1.03
A$1.55
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.29
A$1.95
|
$1.24
A$1.86
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.12
A$3.19
|
$2.84
A$4.27
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
A$1.77
|
$1.01
A$1.52
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.07
A$1.61
|
$1.09
A$1.64
|
|
Brisbane vs. Cairns - Cost of groceries
pay 50.2% more for transportation
|
Brisbane
|
Cairns
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.61
A$6.94
|
$4.29
A$6.46
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$26.15
A$39.37
|
$65.42
A$98.49
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$43,723.43
|
$22,896.08
A$34,471.67
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.30
A$27.56
|
$32.71
A$49.25
|
|
Brisbane vs. Cairns - Cost of transportation
pay 3.5% less for housing
|
Brisbane
|
Cairns
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$53.31
A$80.26
|
$59.69
A$89.87
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,624.05
A$2,445.12
|
$1,251.11
A$1,883.63
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,213.58
A$1,827.13
|
$1,105.55
A$1,664.49
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$110.43
A$166.25
|
$116.73
A$175.74
|
|
Brisbane vs. Cairns - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Brisbane
|
Cairns
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.09
A$2,692.09
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,858.30
A$16,347.93
|
?? |
Brisbane vs. Cairns - Cost of childcare
pay 3.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
Brisbane
|
Cairns
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.86
A$10.33
|
$6.54
A$9.85
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.67
A$5.52
|
$4.09
A$6.16
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$32.69
A$49.21
|
$29.44
A$44.32
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$45.54
A$68.57
|
$38.38
A$57.78
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$19.69
|
$13.08
A$19.70
|
|
Brisbane vs. Cairns - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 30.1% more for clothing
|
Brisbane
|
Cairns
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.91
A$106.77
|
$84.82
A$127.71
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.61
A$62.65
|
$67.60
A$101.77
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.19
A$141.81
|
$100.09
A$150.69
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.97
A$156.54
|
$137.38
A$206.83
|
|
Brisbane vs. Cairns - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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