The most expensive Brisbane suburbs to run, 2026
Across 443 Greater Brisbane suburbs the gap between the dearest and the cheapest to run is $10,042 a year. Council rates account for less than a tenth of it. This ranks every one of them.
North Ipswich is the most expensive Brisbane suburb to run in 2026 at $15,206 a year, followed by Ipswich at $15,048 and Beachmere at $14,241. The cheapest is Brisbane City at $5,164. Across all 443 suburbs the median is $11,687. These are annual running costs, not purchase prices.
Key statistics
- Suburbs ranked
- 443
- Dearest
- $15,206 (North Ipswich)
- Cheapest
- $5,164 (Brisbane City)
- Median
- $11,687
- Spread
- $10,042
- Over ten years
- $115,120
This ranks what a house costs to run, not what it costs to buy. Every figure below is council rates plus water plus the drive to work plus home insurance, for one year. SuburbCost publishes no property prices, medians or market values.
The 25 most expensive Brisbane suburbs to run
| Rank | Suburb | Council rates | Water | Commute | Insurance | Total a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Ipswich | $1,298 | $1,900 | $6,508 | $5,500 | $15,206 |
| 2 | Ipswich | $1,298 | $1,900 | $6,650 | $5,200 | $15,048 |
| 3 | Beachmere | $1,309 | $2,144 | $6,988 | $3,800 | $14,241 |
| 4 | Godwin Beach | $1,309 | $2,144 | $6,941 | $3,800 | $14,194 |
| 5 | Dayboro | $1,309 | $2,144 | $6,912 | $3,800 | $14,165 |
| 6 | Caboolture | $1,309 | $2,144 | $6,857 | $3,800 | $14,110 |
| 7 | Riverview | $1,298 | $1,900 | $5,667 | $5,200 | $14,065 |
| 8 | Monarch Glen | $1,699 | $2,149 | $6,988 | $3,200 | $14,036 |
| 9 | Jimboomba | $1,699 | $2,149 | $6,987 | $3,200 | $14,035 |
| 10 | Wolffdene | $1,699 | $2,149 | $6,964 | $3,200 | $14,012 |
| 11 | Goodna | $1,298 | $1,900 | $5,311 | $5,500 | $14,009 |
| 12 | Cedar Vale | $1,699 | $2,149 | $6,847 | $3,300 | $13,995 |
| 13 | Cedar Grove | $1,699 | $2,149 | $6,933 | $3,200 | $13,981 |
| 14 | South Maclean | $1,699 | $2,149 | $6,929 | $3,200 | $13,977 |
| 15 | Toorbul | $1,309 | $2,144 | $6,716 | $3,800 | $13,969 |
| 16 | Woorim | $1,309 | $2,144 | $6,695 | $3,800 | $13,948 |
| 17 | Dunwich | $1,436 | $2,308 | $6,968 | $3,200 | $13,912 |
| 18 | Undullah | $1,699 | $2,149 | $6,857 | $3,200 | $13,905 |
| 19 | Karragarra Island | $1,436 | $2,308 | $6,984 | $3,100 | $13,828 |
| 20 | Lamb Island | $1,436 | $2,308 | $6,984 | $3,100 | $13,828 |
| 21 | Kairabah | $1,699 | $2,149 | $6,976 | $3,000 | $13,824 |
| 22 | Peel Island | $1,436 | $2,308 | $6,756 | $3,300 | $13,800 |
| 23 | Leichhardt | $1,298 | $1,900 | $6,798 | $3,800 | $13,796 |
| 24 | North Stradbroke Island | $1,436 | $2,308 | $6,944 | $3,100 | $13,788 |
| 25 | Macleay Island | $1,436 | $2,308 | $6,939 | $3,100 | $13,783 |
The other end of the table
For contrast, the ten cheapest of the 443.
| Rank | Suburb | Council rates | Water | Commute | Insurance | Total a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 434 | Brisbane City | $950 | $1,900 | $514 | $1,800 | $5,164 |
| 435 | Spring Hill | $950 | $1,900 | $514 | $1,800 | $5,164 |
| 436 | Kangaroo Point | $950 | $1,900 | $514 | $1,900 | $5,264 |
| 437 | Petrie Terrace | $950 | $1,900 | $514 | $1,900 | $5,264 |
| 438 | South Brisbane | $950 | $1,900 | $514 | $1,900 | $5,264 |
| 439 | Fortitude Valley | $950 | $1,900 | $615 | $1,800 | $5,265 |
| 440 | Highgate Hill | $950 | $1,900 | $715 | $1,800 | $5,365 |
| 441 | Herston | $950 | $1,900 | $814 | $1,750 | $5,414 |
| 442 | Kelvin Grove | $950 | $1,900 | $912 | $1,700 | $5,462 |
| 443 | New Farm | $950 | $1,900 | $715 | $1,900 | $5,465 |
What the ranking shows
The gap between top and bottom is $10,042 a year. Held for a decade with costs growing at 3%, that compounds to about $115,120, which is a deposit rather than a rounding error.
What produces that gap is not what most people expect. Across these 443 suburbs, council rates vary by $1,254 from the highest to the lowest. The drive to work varies by $6,474. Insurance varies by $3,800. Rates are the number everyone researches and the one that moves least.
Brisbane differs from Sydney in one important way. Here insurance does almost as much work as the commute: it varies by $3,800 across the region against $6,474 for the drive, and the suburbs at the very top carry both penalties at once. North Ipswich and Ipswich sit under 32 kilometres from the CBD, a moderate commute, and still top the table because flood exposure puts their insurance near $5,500.
Council rates vary by $1,254 across the whole of Greater Brisbane. That is the number people research, and it is about an eighth of the gap.
The practical consequence is that a suburb's headline affordability and its running cost are different questions, and the second one is answered per household rather than per suburb. Someone who works locally, or does not drive to work at all, can invert this entire table.
Methodology
What is counted. Council rates (2026-27), water and sewerage (2025-26), the modelled drive to work, and home insurance for a house. Not counted: mortgage or rent, electricity, groceries, or anything that varies by household rather than by address.
Commute. Distance to the CBD at the ATO 2026-27 rate of 91c per kilometre, with trip frequency tapering by distance. This is a modelled CBD commute rather than total household driving, and it is measured straight line, which understates real road distance. A reader who names their actual workplace in the free report gets it routed by road instead.
Excluded from the ranking. Any suburb carrying a neighbouring council's rate, a neighbouring utility's water figure, or a commute figure that predates the July 2026 model revision. The top and bottom of a ranking is exactly where a stand-in figure becomes a published error, so those suburbs are left out rather than shown with a caveat.
Estimates. Home insurance and body corporate figures are AI-estimated and labelled as estimates throughout the site. Council rates and metropolitan water charges come from published budgets and utility pricing.
Start with your council, then your suburb
Greater Brisbane spans five councils and the rate you pay depends on which one you are in. Open the council page, pick your suburb, and the full running cost comes with it rather than just the rates line.
Brisbane City Council rates →Or compare two suburbs side by side in the SuburbCost tool.
Cite this data
SuburbCost data is free to cite with attribution. Please link to this page as the source.
This index aggregates to council level in the open data release, which covers running costs for all 146 Queensland and NSW councils.
Rates change every July
One email a year, when the new council budgets land and this ranking is rebuilt. Nothing else.
Done. You will hear from us next July.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most expensive Brisbane suburb to live in?
On annual running cost, North Ipswich at $15,206 a year, counting council rates, water, the drive to work and home insurance. Ipswich follows at $15,048. This measures what a house costs to run each year and is not a property price or a market value.
What is the average running cost of a Brisbane suburb?
The median across the 443 suburbs ranked here is $11,687 a year. The range runs from $5,164 to $15,206, a spread of $10,042, so the median is a weak guide to any individual suburb.
Why do cheap suburbs cost more to run?
Because the drive to work usually costs more than everything else combined and it grows with distance. Across these suburbs council rates vary by $1,254 while the commute varies by $6,474. A suburb that is cheaper to buy is frequently further out, and the commute reclaims the difference every year you live there.