First home costs after settlement, house vs unit 2026
The bills that start the week a first home is yours: council rates, water and sewerage, insurance, a strata levy for a unit, and the commute. House against unit, in the lowest running cost suburbs at each distance from the CBD.
Across the 20 Greater Brisbane suburbs selected, the median house costs $9,098 (includes estimates) a year to run and the median unit $10,426 (includes estimates). Across the 20 Greater Sydney suburbs selected, the median house costs $8,612 (includes estimates) and the median unit $9,942 (includes estimates). That covers council rates, water, insurance, a strata levy for a unit and a modelled driving commute, before electricity. The unit costs more to run in 40 of the 40 suburbs, because the estimated levy outweighs any saving on insurance and council rates, though the house figures carry no maintenance allowance. The two cities are not compared, because Queensland publishes a minimum council rate and New South Wales an average.
Key statistics
- Brisbane, median house
- $9,098 (includes estimates)
- Brisbane, median unit
- $10,426 (includes estimates)
- Sydney, median house
- $8,612 (includes estimates)
- Sydney, median unit
- $9,942 (includes estimates)
- Suburbs selected per city
- 20
- Distance bands
- 4
How the suburbs were chosen
SuburbCost holds no property prices and no data on where buyers purchase, so this page does not claim to list the suburbs first home buyers choose. The selection is defined from running cost alone. Within each city, the suburbs are grouped by straight-line distance to the CBD, and the 5 with the lowest house running cost in each band are shown: 0 to 10km, 10 to 20km, 20 to 30km and 30 to 50km. Pick the band you could realistically commute from and read across to see the house and the unit side by side.
The bands stop at 50km. Beyond that the commute model assumes fewer trips into the CBD each week, so a suburb further out can look cheaper only because its commute is modelled differently.
Greater Brisbane
443 suburbs across the five Greater Brisbane councils, measured to the Brisbane CBD. Queensland councils publish a minimum general rate for an owner-occupied home, a floor that properties on higher land value exceed. Where a council publishes a separate community titles rate, the unit column uses it.
| Distance band | Suburb | To CBD | House a year | Unit a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10km 92 suburbs | Red Hill | 3km | $5,209 (includes estimates) | $8,347 (includes estimates) |
| Paddington | 2.9km | $5,276 (includes estimates) | $8,034 (includes estimates) | |
| Brisbane City | 0.1km | $5,414 (includes estimates) | $9,572 (includes estimates) | |
| Spring Hill | 1.2km | $5,414 (includes estimates) | $9,572 (includes estimates) | |
| Kangaroo Point | 1.4km | $5,514 (includes estimates) | $9,572 (includes estimates) | |
| 10 to 20km 114 suburbs | Northgate | 10km | $7,458 (includes estimates) | $9,376 (includes estimates) |
| Archerfield | 11km | $7,615 (includes estimates) | $9,333 (includes estimates) | |
| Upper Mount Gravatt | 10.9km | $7,839 (includes estimates) | $9,807 (includes estimates) | |
| Coopers Plains | 10.8km | $7,865 (includes estimates) | $9,623 (includes estimates) | |
| Macgregor | 11.6km | $7,865 (includes estimates) | $9,623 (includes estimates) | |
| 20 to 30km 99 suburbs | Bray Park | 20.5km | $10,331 (includes estimates) | $11,591 (includes estimates) |
| Drewvale | 20km | $10,342 (includes estimates) | $11,360 (includes estimates) | |
| Karana Downs | 21.9km | $10,608 (includes estimates) | $11,506 (includes estimates) | |
| Camira | 21km | $10,660 (includes estimates) | $11,045 (includes estimates) | |
| Mount Crosby | 22.1km | $10,689 (includes estimates) | $11,527 (includes estimates) | |
| 30 to 50km 112 suburbs | Eastern Heights | 30.2km | $11,068 (includes estimates) | $12,048 (includes estimates) |
| Woodend | 30.8km | $11,217 (includes estimates) | $13,117 (includes estimates) | |
| Raceview | 30.8km | $11,467 (includes estimates) | $12,347 (includes estimates) | |
| Scarborough | 30.7km | $11,564 (includes estimates) | $13,384 (includes estimates) | |
| Banksia Beach | 49.2km | $11,772 (includes estimates) | $12,952 (includes estimates) |
These figures assume a typical household and commute. Pick a suburb you like and see the nearby ones that cost less to run →
See what your own shortlist costs to run, house or unit, with the ten-year total →
Free, no spam, built from official council, ATO and ACARA data. SuburbCost is paid by brokers we introduce, never by you.
Greater Brisbane, line by line
| Cost | House | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Council rates, minimum general rate | $950 | $1,138 |
| Water and sewerage | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Commute, driving | $4,354 (modelled) | $4,354 (modelled) |
| Insurance, building for a house and contents for a unit | $1,675 (AI-estimated) | $520 (AI-estimated) |
| Body corporate or strata levy | None | $2,700 (AI-estimated) |
| Median total | $9,098 (includes estimates) | $10,426 (includes estimates) |
The median total is the median of the suburb totals, not the sum of the medians above it, so the lines do not add exactly to it.
In none of the 20 Greater Brisbane suburbs selected does the unit cost less to run than the house. The levy is what tips it: across the selected suburbs the median estimated levy is $2,700 (AI-estimated), against a median insurance saving of $1,095 (AI-estimated) for the unit. Read that with one caveat: the house figures carry no allowance for maintenance, while a strata levy pays for the building's maintenance and its insurance, so part of the levy is a cost the house owner also has but this page does not count.
Greater Sydney
760 suburbs across 32 Greater Sydney councils, measured to the Sydney CBD. New South Wales figures are the OLG average residential rate uplifted by the IPART peg, a typical bill rather than a floor. The dataset holds one average for houses and units alike, so the unit rate shown equals the house rate.
| Distance band | Suburb | To CBD | House a year | Unit a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10km 148 suburbs | Surry Hills | 1.9km | $4,620 (includes estimates) | $7,050 (includes estimates) |
| Darlinghurst | 1.5km | $4,836 (includes estimates) | $7,016 (includes estimates) | |
| Haymarket | 1.4km | $4,836 (includes estimates) | $7,016 (includes estimates) | |
| Millers Point | 1.1km | $4,836 (includes estimates) | $7,016 (includes estimates) | |
| Sydney | 0.6km | $4,836 (includes estimates) | $7,016 (includes estimates) | |
| 10 to 20km 166 suburbs | Bardwell Valley | 10.4km | $7,425 (includes estimates) | $9,105 (includes estimates) |
| Bardwell Park | 10.5km | $7,450 (includes estimates) | $9,130 (includes estimates) | |
| Bexley | 12.3km | $7,600 (includes estimates) | $9,180 (includes estimates) | |
| Kyeemagh | 10.1km | $7,747 (includes estimates) | $9,177 (includes estimates) | |
| Mortlake | 10.1km | $7,750 (includes estimates) | $9,180 (includes estimates) | |
| 20 to 30km 147 suburbs | Old Guildford | 20.9km | $9,473 (includes estimates) | $10,703 (includes estimates) |
| Bass Hill | 20.1km | $9,484 (includes estimates) | $10,914 (includes estimates) | |
| Mays Hill | 21km | $9,543 (includes estimates) | $10,773 (includes estimates) | |
| Waitara | 20.1km | $9,698 (includes estimates) | $11,078 (includes estimates) | |
| Revesby | 20km | $9,767 (includes estimates) | $10,997 (includes estimates) | |
| 30 to 50km 195 suburbs | Bossley Park | 30.1km | $10,738 (includes estimates) | $11,668 (includes estimates) |
| Edensor Park | 30.7km | $10,789 (includes estimates) | $11,719 (includes estimates) | |
| Beaumont Hills | 31.6km | $10,839 (includes estimates) | $12,019 (includes estimates) | |
| Bonnyrigg Heights | 31.4km | $10,844 (includes estimates) | $11,774 (includes estimates) | |
| Rouse Hill | 34.2km | $11,001 (includes estimates) | $12,181 (includes estimates) |
Greater Sydney, line by line
| Cost | House | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Council rates, average rate | $1,172 | $1,172 |
| Water and sewerage | $1,548 | $1,548 |
| Commute, driving | $4,440 (modelled) | $4,440 (modelled) |
| Insurance, building for a house and contents for a unit | $1,550 (AI-estimated) | $430 (AI-estimated) |
| Body corporate or strata levy | None | $2,300 (AI-estimated) |
| Median total | $8,612 (includes estimates) | $9,942 (includes estimates) |
The median total is the median of the suburb totals, not the sum of the medians above it, so the lines do not add exactly to it.
In none of the 20 Greater Sydney suburbs selected does the unit cost less to run than the house. The levy is what tips it: across the selected suburbs the median estimated levy is $2,300 (AI-estimated), against a median insurance saving of $1,070 (AI-estimated) for the unit. Read that with one caveat: the house figures carry no allowance for maintenance, while a strata levy pays for the building's maintenance and its insurance, so part of the levy is a cost the house owner also has but this page does not count.
Costs that are not in these totals
- Electricity. It depends on how many people live in the home and the climate zone more than on the suburb. The electricity bill calculator estimates it.
- Waste and other council charges. The rates here are the general rate only. Waste collection and other separate charges are billed on top.
- Maintenance. Not modelled. A house carries its own; for a unit, building maintenance is largely inside the strata levy.
- The actual levy. Strata levies are set building by building. The figure here is an estimate for comparing suburbs, and the real one is in the body corporate records for a specific building.
Methodology
Sets. Greater Brisbane is the five councils of Brisbane City, Moreton Bay, Redland, Ipswich and Logan, 443 suburbs. Greater Sydney is the Greater Sydney Commission boundary less Wollondilly, 760 suburbs across 32 councils. A suburb is included only where its own council figure is real. Every suburb in both sets measures distance to its own CBD.
Costs. House is council rate plus water plus the driving commute plus building insurance. Unit is the unit council rate plus water plus the strata levy plus the driving commute plus contents insurance. Council rates are 2026-27. Queensland councils publish a minimum general rate for an owner-occupied home, a floor that properties on higher land value exceed. Where a council publishes a separate community titles rate, the unit column uses it. New South Wales figures are the OLG average residential rate uplifted by the IPART peg, a typical bill rather than a floor. The dataset holds one average for houses and units alike, so the unit rate shown equals the house rate. Insurance and strata are AI estimates (Claude, by Anthropic) and marked wherever they appear. The commute is modelled from distance at the ATO rate of 91c a kilometre, with fewer trips assumed as distance grows, not surveyed.
Selection. Straight-line distance to the CBD, bands of 0 to 10, 10 to 20, 20 to 30 and 30 to 50km, the 5 lowest house totals in each, ties broken alphabetically. Medians are across the 20 suburbs selected in each city.
This is general information about running costs, not financial advice. It does not consider anyone's circumstances. SuburbCost does not publish property prices, medians of prices or capital growth.
Frequently asked questions
What does a first home cost to run each year
It depends far more on the suburb and the commute than on whether it is a first home. Across the 20 Greater Brisbane suburbs selected here, the median house costs $9,098 (includes estimates) a year to run and the median unit $10,426 (includes estimates). Across the 20 Greater Sydney suburbs, $8,612 (includes estimates) and $9,942 (includes estimates). Each covers council rates, water, insurance, a strata levy for a unit and a modelled driving commute. The two cities use different rate statistics, so their totals are not compared with each other.
Is a unit cheaper to run than a house
Not on these figures. A unit has a lower insurance line, because the owner insures contents and the body corporate insures the building. Against that, the unit pays a strata levy, and on these estimates the levy is larger. In none of the 20 Greater Brisbane suburbs selected does the unit cost less to run than the house. In none of the 20 Greater Sydney suburbs selected does the unit cost less to run than the house. Read that with one caveat: the house figures carry no allowance for maintenance, while a strata levy pays for the building's maintenance and its insurance, so part of the levy is a cost the house owner also has but this page does not count.
How were the suburbs chosen
By running cost, not by where buyers actually purchase, which SuburbCost has no data on. Within each city, the five suburbs with the lowest house running cost in each distance band from the CBD: 0 to 10, 10 to 20, 20 to 30 and 30 to 50km. Pick the band you could commute from and read across.
What is not included
Electricity, waste and other separate council charges, maintenance, and anything to do with buying the property. Electricity has its own calculator. A strata levy is set building by building, so the estimate is a guide only and the real figure is in the body corporate records.
Cite this data
SuburbCost data is free to cite with attribution. Please link to this page as the source.
Related studies
- Surprisingly affordable Brisbane suburbs, same distance, very different running cost.
- Surprisingly affordable Sydney suburbs, the same question for Sydney.
- Queensland electricity bills by household size, the bill these totals leave out.
- Cost of living calculator, one suburb with your own inputs.