Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sydney vs. Brisbane Cost of Living Summary
Sydney is 12.8% cheaper than Brisbane.
- Restaurants
-
pay 20.2% less in Sydney
- Groceries
-
pay 6.7% less in Sydney
- Transportation
-
pay 20.9% more in Sydney
- Housing
-
pay 17.1% less in Sydney
- Childcare
-
pay 59.9% less in Sydney
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 24.2% less in Sydney
- Clothing
-
pay 17.6% more in Sydney
The cost of transportation and clothing in Sydney are more expensive than in Brisbane. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, housing, and groceries are lower in Sydney.
Sydney vs. Brisbane Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sydney instead of Brisbane, you would:
pay 20.2% less for restaurants
|
Brisbane
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.34
A$24.61
|
$11.48
CA$15.88
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.46
A$15.75
|
$7.18
CA$9.92
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.66
A$4.00
|
$2.21
CA$3.06
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.10
A$3.16
|
$2.03
CA$2.81
|
|
Brisbane vs. Sydney - Cost of restaurants
pay 6.7% less for groceries
|
Brisbane
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.29
A$3.44
|
$2.57
CA$3.55
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.44
A$6.69
|
$3.23
CA$4.47
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.66
A$8.52
|
$8.55
CA$11.82
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.52
A$6.80
|
$3.37
CA$4.66
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.72
A$5.60
|
$3.74
CA$5.18
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.54
A$2.32
|
$3.25
CA$4.50
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.30
A$1.96
|
$0.54
CA$0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.29
A$1.95
|
?? | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.12
A$3.19
|
$0.65
CA$0.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
A$1.77
|
$0.38
CA$0.52
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.07
A$1.61
|
$1.14
CA$1.58
|
|
Brisbane vs. Sydney - Cost of groceries
pay 20.9% more for transportation
|
Brisbane
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.61
A$6.94
|
$4.31
CA$5.96
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$26.15
A$39.37
|
$48.44
CA$66.98
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,041.09
A$43,723.43
|
$24,382.26
CA$33,717.01
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.30
A$27.56
|
?? | |
Brisbane vs. Sydney - Cost of transportation
pay 17.1% less for housing
|
Brisbane
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$53.31
A$80.26
|
$74.15
CA$102.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,624.05
A$2,445.12
|
$1,076.38
CA$1,488.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,213.58
A$1,827.13
|
$789.35
CA$1,091.55
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$110.43
A$166.25
|
$67.68
CA$93.59
|
|
Brisbane vs. Sydney - Cost of housing
pay 59.9% less for childcare
|
Brisbane
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.09
A$2,692.09
|
$717.59
CA$992.32
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$10,858.30
A$16,347.93
|
?? | |
Brisbane vs. Sydney - Cost of childcare
pay 24.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Brisbane
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.86
A$10.33
|
?? | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.67
A$5.52
|
$2.87
CA$3.97
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$32.69
A$49.21
|
$17.94
CA$24.81
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$45.54
A$68.57
|
$49.87
CA$68.97
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.07
A$19.69
|
$7.89
CA$10.92
|
|
Brisbane vs. Sydney - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.6% more for clothing
|
Brisbane
|
Sydney
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$70.91
A$106.77
|
$69.37
CA$95.92
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.61
A$62.65
|
$67.57
CA$93.44
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.19
A$141.81
|
$100.46
CA$138.92
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.97
A$156.54
|
$107.64
CA$148.85
|
|
Brisbane vs. Sydney - 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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