Fuel prices in Brisbane and Sydney, and what another 30c a litre costs per month
Petrol prices in Sydney and fuel prices in Brisbane turned into the number that matters to a household, which is what the drive to work costs over a year and a month. 1203 suburbs, real road distance to the CBD, fuel only.
Another 30c a litre adds $511 a year, or $43 a month, to the median Greater Sydney suburb driving to the CBD five days a week. In Greater Brisbane it adds $430 a year, or $36 a month. At three days a week it is $307 and $258 a year. Those are the median suburb in each set, not the median commuter, and they assume a CBD trip. Prices are 236.6c a litre in Sydney at 2026-10-05 and 238.2c in Brisbane at 2026-10-09.
Key statistics
- Suburbs measured
- 1203
- Sydney now
- $4,034
- Sydney at +30c
- $4,545
- Brisbane now
- $3,414
- Brisbane at +30c
- $3,844
- Outer against inner
- 11 times
The rise that has already happened is the larger one
Sydney's average regular unleaded was 152.2c a litre on 30 June and 236.6c on 2026-10-05, a rise of 84.4c. For the median Sydney suburb driving five days a week that moved the annual fuel bill from $2,595 to $4,034, so $1,439 a year has already been added, which is $120 a month.
Another 30c would add $511 on top of that. The rise since June is roughly 2.8 times the size of the one people are bracing for, and it is already in household budgets rather than ahead of them.
There is no equivalent line for Brisbane here, because no 30 June Brisbane average could be sourced on the same basis.
What fuel prices in Brisbane and Sydney cost by distance
Distance decides almost everything. An outer Sydney suburb absorbs 11 times what an inner one does from the same 30c, because it is burning 11 times as much fuel to get to the same place.
| Road distance | Suburbs | Now | At +30c | Extra a year | Extra a month | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10 km | 97 | $832 | $937 | $105 | $9 | Bondi Junction, Bellevue Hill |
| 10 to 20 km | 134 | $1,878 | $2,116 | $238 | $20 | Arncliffe, Breakfast Point |
| 20 to 30 km | 127 | $3,215 | $3,622 | $408 | $34 | Sylvania, Guildford |
| 30 to 40 km | 97 | $4,437 | $5,000 | $563 | $47 | Moorebank, Elvina Bay |
| 40 to 60 km | 182 | $6,177 | $6,960 | $783 | $65 | Marsden Park, Ingleburn |
| 60 km and over | 123 | $9,442 | $10,639 | $1,197 | $100 | Wisemans Ferry, Kurrajong Hills |
See the full running cost for your own suburb →
One thing to square before reading further. The commute figure on a SuburbCost suburb page is higher than anything here, because that uses the ATO rate of 91c per kilometre, which bundles registration, insurance, servicing and depreciation along with fuel. This page counts fuel alone, which is the only part a pump price moves.
| Road distance | Suburbs | Now | At +30c | Extra a year | Extra a month | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10 km | 70 | $787 | $886 | $99 | $8 | Coorparoo, Stones Corner |
| 10 to 20 km | 96 | $1,954 | $2,201 | $246 | $21 | Acacia Ridge, Oxley |
| 20 to 30 km | 74 | $3,160 | $3,558 | $398 | $33 | Drewvale, Logan Central |
| 30 to 40 km | 68 | $4,277 | $4,816 | $539 | $45 | Springfield Lakes, Edens Landing |
| 40 to 60 km | 94 | $6,105 | $6,873 | $769 | $64 | Karragarra Island, Karrabin |
| 60 km and over | 41 | $8,668 | $9,760 | $1,092 | $91 | Campbells Pocket, Banksia Beach |
What it costs by vehicle
The vehicle matters less than the distance, but it is not nothing. A van burns a little over twice what a small car does on the same trip.
| Vehicle | L per 100km | Now | At +30c | Extra a year | Extra a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid Forester, Tiggo 4, MG ZS, Carnival | 5.5 on-road | $1,999 | $2,252 | $253 | $21 |
| Small car Yaris, Mazda 2 | 6.5 rated | $2,362 | $2,662 | $300 | $25 |
| Medium car Corolla, Camry | 8.0 rated | $2,907 | $3,276 | $369 | $31 |
| Large or SUV RAV4, CX-5 | 10.0 rated | $3,634 | $4,095 | $461 | $38 |
| Average car | 11.1 on-road | $4,034 | $4,545 | $511 | $43 |
| 4WD or ute HiLux, Ranger | 12.0 rated | $4,361 | $4,914 | $553 | $46 |
| Van or large 4WD People mover, van | 15.0 rated | $5,451 | $6,142 | $691 | $58 |
| Electric | 0 | Uses no fuel, so a price rise changes nothing. Electricity is not modelled here. | |||
| Vehicle | L per 100km | Now | At +30c | Extra a year | Extra a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid Forester, Tiggo 4, MG ZS, Carnival | 5.5 on-road | $1,692 | $1,905 | $213 | $18 |
| Small car Yaris, Mazda 2 | 6.5 rated | $1,999 | $2,251 | $252 | $21 |
| Medium car Corolla, Camry | 8.0 rated | $2,461 | $2,770 | $310 | $26 |
| Large or SUV RAV4, CX-5 | 10.0 rated | $3,076 | $3,463 | $387 | $32 |
| Average car | 11.1 on-road | $3,414 | $3,844 | $430 | $36 |
| 4WD or ute HiLux, Ranger | 12.0 rated | $3,691 | $4,156 | $465 | $39 |
| Van or large 4WD People mover, van | 15.0 rated | $4,613 | $5,194 | $581 | $48 |
| Electric | 0 | Uses no fuel, so a price rise changes nothing. Electricity is not modelled here. | |||
The average car figure of 11.1 litres per 100km is the ABS on-road average across the passenger fleet, and it sits above the rated figures for a large SUV. That is expected rather than contradictory. Rated consumption comes from a laboratory cycle and real driving uses more, which is why a household's own spend tends to track the ABS figure more closely than the number on the window sticker.
Four worked examples
Inner against outer, same city. A 6.6 km commute in Sydney costs $832 a year in fuel now and $937 at 30c more, a difference of $105. A 74.9 km one goes from $9,442 to $10,639, a difference of $1,197. Same rise, 11 times the effect.
Five days against three. The median Sydney suburb pays $4,034 a year at five days and $2,420 at three. The 30c rise costs $511 a year on a five day week and $307 on three, so two days at home absorbs $205 of it.
Small car against a ute. On the median Sydney trip a small car goes from $1,999 to $2,252 and a 4WD or ute from $4,361 to $4,914. The ute pays $300 a year more of the increase.
Brisbane driving against the 50c fare. The median Brisbane suburb costs $3,414 a year in fuel alone, rising to $3,844. The same suburb's public transport figure on this site is $192 a year under Queensland's flat 50c fare. That is context, not a recommendation: the two are not interchangeable for most people, and the fuel figure excludes everything else a car costs.
Work out your own
Your one way distance, your week, your car. The result is fuel only, over 48 weeks.
Methodology
Fuel only. Litres equal kilometres times litres per 100km divided by 100, and cost is litres times price. Registration, insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation are all excluded, which is why these figures are lower than the commute line on a SuburbCost suburb page. That line uses the ATO rate of 91c per kilometre, a single deduction rate covering all of those, and a pump price change moves only the fuel inside it. Scaling the ATO rate by a fuel price ratio would overstate the effect several times over, so it is not done here.
Distance. Real road distance from OSRM routing to the Sydney and Brisbane CBDs, not straight line. 760 of 760 Greater Sydney suburbs and 443 of 443 Greater Brisbane suburbs have a route. Suburbs measured to a regional centre rather than a capital are excluded.
Pattern. A return trip to the CBD, 48 weeks a year, at five days and at three. Monthly figures are the annual figure divided by 12.
Median suburb, not median commuter. These are the median suburb in each set, weighted by nothing. Most people do not work in the CBD and suburbs are not equally populated, so this is a fair comparison between places and not a claim about the average worker.
Prices. Sydney 236.6c a litre, NRMA Weekly Fuel Report, average regular unleaded, Sydney, Monday evening 5 October 2026. Brisbane 238.2c a litre, FuelRadar, Brisbane average Unleaded 91, as at 9 October 2026. These come from different operators on different days, four days apart, so the two city figures are shown side by side and never subtracted from each other.
Consumption. The average car is 11.1 litres per 100km, ABS Survey of Motor Vehicle Use, Australia, 12 months ended 30 June 2020, released 21 December 2020. Average fuel consumption, passenger vehicles. Final release; the series is discontinued. The vehicle classes are rated figures from FuelRadar trip calculator vehicle classes, as supplied 2026-10-09
SuburbCost does not publish property prices, medians, valuations as market values or capital growth.
Frequently asked questions
How much does petrol cost to commute in Sydney
The median suburb in Greater Sydney is 32.0 km from the CBD by road, which is 15,360 km a year driving in five days a week. At 236.6c a litre in an average car that is $4,034 a year in fuel, or $336 a month. At three days a week it is $2,420 a year. This is fuel only and excludes registration, insurance, servicing and depreciation.
What is the cost of fuel in Brisbane for driving to work
The median Greater Brisbane suburb is 26.9 km from the CBD by road. At 238.2c a litre in an average car, five days a week, that is $3,414 a year, or $284 a month. Brisbane is cheaper than Sydney mostly because the median suburb is closer in, not because the fuel is much cheaper.
What would another 30c a litre cost me
For the median Sydney suburb driving five days a week, $511 a year or $43 a month. For the median Brisbane suburb, $430 a year or $36 a month. It depends far more on distance than on the car: an outer Sydney suburb pays $1,197 a year against $105 for an inner one.
Why is this lower than the commute figure on your suburb pages
Because they measure different things. Suburb pages use the ATO rate of 91c per kilometre, which bundles fuel, registration, insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation into one figure. This page counts fuel alone, which is the only part a pump price change moves. Neither is wrong; one is the whole cost of running a car to work and the other is what goes in the tank.
Does a fuel price rise affect electric cars
No. An electric car uses no fuel, so a change in the pump price does nothing to it. Electricity costs are not modelled on this page.
What the rest of the address costs
Fuel is one line. Council rates, water, insurance and the full commute are the rest, and they vary by suburb in ways a fuel price does not touch.
Get the free suburb running cost report →Cite this data
SuburbCost data is free to cite with attribution. Please link to this page as the source.
A press kit with the chart, the data as CSV and a summary is at press/fuel-commute-2026.
Related studies
- Sydney train against driving, the same commute costed both ways.
- Average council rates in Sydney, another recurring cost of an address.
- What Queensland councils charge per dollar of land.
- Every suburb we hold, with the full running cost for each.