Cost of Living in Cairns, 🇦🇺 Australia - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $2,393 $1,478 $2,041 $1,232 $127

Utilities — $197 $289 $155 —

Internet & Mobile $99 $77 $127 $63 $6

Groceries $176 $457 $985 $387 $11

Transportation $155 $317 $528 $113 $32

Dining Out $1,056 $422 $563 $141 $77

Leisure Activities $352 $246 $422 $106 $63

Health Insurance $77 $130 $296 — $7

Visa & Legal Fees $35 $56 $84 — $4

Total $4,343 $3,380 $5,335 $2,197 $327

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $1,513.23 per month

Coworking Space $316.72 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $3,378.37 per month

Coliving Space $1,161.31 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $4.08 per cup

Beer $8.09 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $18.30 per meal

Fast Food Combo $11.61 per meal

Apples $3.80 per kg

Bread $2.96 per loaf

Milk $1.72 per liter

Rice $2.39 per kg

Chicken Fillets $12.32 per kg

Beef $17.24 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $16.89 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $95.02 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $2.18 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $3.66 per trip

Taxi per km $2.08 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $102.05 per month

Gasoline $1.51 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $13.72 per trip

Scooter Rental $38.71 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $38.71 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $62.64 per month

Gym Membership $59.83 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $19.71 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $28.15 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $16.89 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $95.02 per pair

Summer Dress $59.83 per dress

Running Shoes $130.21 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $31.67 per visit

Laundry $8.45 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $66.86 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $12.67 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 1.4208 AUD

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Cairns cost of living