The real annual running cost of moving to Queensland in 2026
A house in Greater Brisbane costs a median $10,958 a year to run: council rates, water, commute and insurance. The Gold Coast is the lowest of the regions here at $9,623. Toowoomba is the highest at $11,388, mostly because of its commute. Moving to Queensland does not mean one running cost. It means 22 council areas with different cost structures, and the region you choose matters as much as the state.
These figures cover recurring running costs only: council rates, water, a modelled driving commute, and home insurance. They do not include groceries, general spending, mortgage repayments, rent, or property prices.
Running costs in Queensland vary by region. Of the eight regions here, the Gold Coast has the lowest median running cost for a house at $9,623 a year, Greater Brisbane sits in the middle at $10,958, and Toowoomba is the highest at $11,388, mostly because of its commute. There is no single "Queensland cost of living" figure that applies everywhere you might move to.
Key statistics
- Lowest regional median
- Gold Coast, $9,623/yr
- Greater Brisbane median
- $10,958/yr
- Highest regional median
- Toowoomba, $11,388/yr
- Regions covered
- 8 regions, 1,279 suburbs
Methodology
Each suburb's total is its council rate (2026-27, the minimum residential general rate for an owner-occupied home), water and sewerage (2026-27 tariffs from that council's water utility), a modelled annual driving cost to the region's principal centre priced at the ATO's 91c/km rate, and an estimated home insurance premium (ACCC premium rates for the area's cyclone risk, on a standard $600,000 house). Each region's figure is the median of every suburb's total within its councils, rounded to the dollar. Mortgage repayments, rent, food, personal spending and land tax are not included.
Key findings at a glance
- Council rates barely move between regions. The gap between the lowest and highest regional median council rate is $582
- The commute is the biggest regional swing. The median commute runs from $3,991 a year in Townsville to $5,799 in Toowoomba
- Insurance is the next biggest. The cyclone-rated north (Cairns, Townsville and Mackay) pays $3,325 to $3,650 a year at the median, against $2,150 in Greater Brisbane
- The Gold Coast has the lowest median running cost of the regions tracked here, $9,623 a year
- Toowoomba has the highest, $11,388, mostly because of its commute
- Greater Brisbane sits in the middle of the state's regional range
What running costs look like across Queensland
SuburbCost holds 1,615 Queensland suburbs. Grouped into the regions people search for when planning a move, the median annual running cost for a house looks like this, lowest first:
| Region | Suburbs | Council (med.) | Water (med.) | Commute (med.) | Insurance (med.) | Total (med.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Coast | 80 | $1,359 | $2,169 | $4,002 | $2,150 | $9,623 |
| Lockyer Valley | 73 | $1,395 | $1,900 | $4,678 | $2,400 | $10,288 |
| Sunshine Coast | 113 | $1,771 | $2,094 | $4,617 | $2,150 | $10,632 |
| Cairns and the Far North | 200 | $1,189 | $1,765 | $4,217 | $3,325 | $10,776 |
| Greater Brisbane | 443 | $1,298 | $1,900 | $5,378 | $2,150 | $10,958 |
| Townsville | 86 | $1,343 | $2,099 | $3,991 | $3,650 | $11,131 |
| Mackay | 83 | $1,466 | $2,048 | $4,193 | $3,650 | $11,357 |
| Toowoomba | 201 | $1,444 | $2,188 | $5,799 | $2,150 | $11,388 |
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Source: Queensland council rate schedules 2026-27, council water utilities 2026-27, ATO 91c/km, SuburbCost insurance estimates from ACCC premium rates. Each column is a separate median, so the columns do not add across to the total. Greater Brisbane is the five councils of Brisbane City, Moreton Bay, Logan, Ipswich and Redland City; Cairns and the Far North is the five councils of Cairns, Tablelands, Mareeba, Douglas and Cassowary Coast. Localities that SuburbCost prices on a neighbouring council's rate, such as Cape York and the Gulf Country, are left out. Councils not broken out as a row here, including Noosa, Scenic Rim and Somerset, are covered suburb by suburb in the SuburbCost tool.
Council rates are the least useful number for comparing regions. Every region in this table sits within $582 of every other on median council rate, from Cairns and the Far North's $1,189 to the Sunshine Coast's $1,771. Insurance spreads $1,500 between regions and commute $1,808. If you're trying to work out which part of Queensland will cost less to live in, council rates tell you almost nothing.
Cairns compared with Brisbane
Cairns and the Far North has a lower median council rate than Greater Brisbane, $1,189 a year against $1,298, and a shorter typical commute, $4,217 against $5,378. Its home insurance is higher: $3,325 a year at the median, about one and a half times Greater Brisbane's $2,150, because the far north carries a medium to high cyclone risk rating.
Overall the far north costs $10,776 a year to run, about the same as Greater Brisbane's $10,958. The higher insurance is real and it does not go away, but lower rates and shorter drives offset it, so the far north is not the expensive outlier an insurance quote can make it look.
No single line decides what a region costs to live in. Council rates, the commute and insurance pull in different directions, and the total is what you pay.
If Brisbane is your specific target
Greater Brisbane's $10,958 median hides a wide range depending on which suburb you land in. Brisbane City Council suburbs run from $5,209 a year. If you already know you're heading to Brisbane specifically, the most affordable Brisbane suburbs to run and the Greater Brisbane Suburb Running Cost Index go suburb by suburb.
What doesn't get cheaper when you move to Queensland
Queensland's reputation as the more affordable state doesn't hold everywhere or for everything. Three things worth knowing before you commit to a move.
The one worth understanding first is that a cheaper purchase price often goes with a higher running cost, not a lower one. Purchase price is paid once. Running cost is paid every year afterwards, and the two often move in opposite directions, because a house is usually cheaper for one of two reasons: it is further from work, which raises the commute, or it sits in an area with more flood or cyclone exposure, which raises the insurance. The commute and insurance figures above are that pattern across Queensland.
- Insurance in cyclone and flood-prone areas. As the Cairns comparison shows, home insurance runs about $1,000 a year or more higher in the Far North than in a typical Greater Brisbane suburb. It is a structural cost, not a one-off.
- Electricity in some tariff zones. Electricity pricing in Queensland differs between south-east Queensland and the regions, and household usage differs by climate zone. Check the specific suburb, not the state average, using the electricity bill calculator or the Queensland electricity bills study.
- Groceries and everyday spending. This dataset does not track groceries, fuel for non-commute driving, or general household spending, and we are not aware of a reliable basis for claiming these are uniformly cheaper in Queensland. Treat the figures on this page as running costs only, not a full cost-of-living comparison.
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Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to live in Queensland compared to other states?
It depends heavily on which part of Queensland. A house in Greater Brisbane costs a median $10,958 a year to run (council rates, water, commute and insurance), the Gold Coast is lowest at $9,623, and Toowoomba is highest at $11,388. Queensland council rates are set as a minimum residential rate, which is a different statistic to NSW's average-based figures, so a direct dollar comparison against NSW needs care. See the full Brisbane versus Sydney running cost comparison.
Is Brisbane the cheapest place to live in Queensland?
No. Of the regions SuburbCost tracks, the Gold Coast ($9,623), Lockyer Valley ($10,288), the Sunshine Coast ($10,632) and Cairns and the Far North ($10,776) have a lower median running cost than Greater Brisbane ($10,958). Within any region, individual suburbs still vary widely depending on commute distance and insurance.
Is Cairns more expensive to run than Brisbane?
Not really. The two are about the same. Cairns and the Far North costs a median $10,776 a year to run, about the same as Greater Brisbane's $10,958. Its council rates are lower, $1,189 against $1,298, and so is its typical commute, but its home insurance is higher, $3,325 a year against $2,150, because the far north carries a medium to high cyclone risk rating.
What isn't included in these Queensland running cost figures?
Groceries, general household spending, mortgage repayments, rent and land tax are not included, and neither are property purchase prices. The figures cover council rates, water and sewerage, a modelled annual driving commute, and estimated home insurance only. Electricity also varies by tariff zone within Queensland and is tracked separately in SuburbCost's per-suburb data rather than folded into this total.
Data sources and methodology
Council rates: the minimum residential general rate for an owner-occupied principal place of residence, 2026-27, from each council's budget or revenue statement. Water and sewerage: 2026-27 tariffs from each council's water utility (Queensland Urban Utilities, Unitywater, or the council itself). Driving cost: a modelled commute to the region's principal centre priced at the ATO cents per kilometre rate (91c/km), with trip frequency tapering by distance and a flat regional allowance capped at $18,200 a year. Home insurance: estimated for the same standard $600,000 house in every suburb from the ACCC's 2026 premium rates for the area's cyclone risk (medium to high around Cairns, Townsville and Mackay, low elsewhere in Queensland), adjusted for flood and fire and labelled as an estimate throughout. Recalibrated on 6 November 2026. Regional figures are medians across every suburb SuburbCost holds in that region's councils, rounded half up. No property prices or medians of price are used anywhere in this article. Coverage: 1,279 of the 1,615 Queensland suburbs SuburbCost holds, in 16 of its 22 Queensland councils.
Cite this data
SuburbCost data is free to cite with attribution. Please link to this page as the source.