Cost of living comparison
compared to
Canberra vs. Brisbane Cost of Living Summary
Canberra is 10.9% more expensive than Brisbane.
Canberra vs. Brisbane Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Canberra instead of Brisbane, you would:
pay 1.3% less for restaurants
|
Brisbane
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.41
A$24.76
|
$17.41
A$24.76
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.14
A$15.85
|
$10.44
A$14.86
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.86
A$4.07
|
$3.09
A$4.40
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.52
A$3.58
|
$2.55
A$3.63
|
|
Brisbane vs. Canberra - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.5% more for groceries
|
Brisbane
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.68
A$3.81
|
$3.25
A$4.63
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.61
A$6.56
|
$6.48
A$9.21
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.22
A$8.85
|
$5.82
A$8.28
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.84
A$6.88
|
$5.26
A$7.48
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.15
A$5.90
|
$4.47
A$6.37
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.91
A$2.72
|
$1.80
A$2.55
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.39
A$1.98
|
$1.43
A$2.03
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.34
A$1.90
|
$1.59
A$2.26
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.19
A$3.12
|
$2.36
A$3.36
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
A$1.80
|
$1.41
A$2.01
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.08
A$1.54
|
$1.26
A$1.79
|
|
Brisbane vs. Canberra - Cost of groceries
pay 41.8% more for transportation
|
Brisbane
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.34
A$7.59
|
$5.07
A$7.22
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$20.89
A$29.71
|
$92.46
A$131.52
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$26,937.53
A$38,317.97
|
$26,937.53
A$38,317.97
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.59
A$25.02
|
$16.79
A$23.89
|
|
Brisbane vs. Canberra - Cost of transportation
pay 1.4% more for housing
|
Brisbane
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$60.25
A$85.71
|
$55.39
A$78.80
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,938.39
A$2,757.31
|
$1,743.39
A$2,479.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,339.97
A$1,906.08
|
$1,478.12
A$2,102.59
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$120.77
A$171.79
|
$139.13
A$197.91
|
|
Brisbane vs. Canberra - Cost of housing
pay 41.1% more for childcare
|
Brisbane
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,919.27
A$2,730.11
|
$2,367.60
A$3,367.86
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,560.73
A$17,867.32
|
$20,280.48
A$28,848.48
|
|
Brisbane vs. Canberra - Cost of childcare
pay 5.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
Brisbane
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.35
A$11.88
|
$8.35
A$11.88
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.35
A$6.19
|
$4.03
A$5.73
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$38.29
A$54.47
|
$44.55
A$63.37
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.15
A$86.99
|
$82.62
A$117.53
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.41
A$24.76
|
$15.67
A$22.28
|
|
Brisbane vs. Canberra - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.7% more for clothing
|
Brisbane
|
Canberra
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$83.20
A$118.35
|
$76.36
A$108.62
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.18
A$62.85
|
$56.12
A$79.83
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$111.40
A$158.46
|
$116.35
A$165.51
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$110.82
A$157.64
|
$131.92
A$187.65
|
|
Brisbane vs. Canberra - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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