Living in Brisbane

In Brisbane, the median rent tenants pay is €1,046 a month (2021) and unemployment is 4% (2026).

Median rent was A$380 per week, and median monthly mortgage repayment was A$1,896 in August 2021. The population of Brisbane, in Australia, was 2,487,568 in 2021.

Last checked 2026-10-0713 sources

Population2,487,568people30 Jun 2021Official source · ABS Regional population, 2024-25 — 32180DS0004 Table 2: Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas

Median gross salary (region)2,288EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · www.abs.gov.au

Median rent1,046EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · 2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02

Unemployment rate4%country median 4.5% — 11% belowIndependent source · DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026

PM2.5, annual mean7.5µg/m³country median 6.0 — 25% aboveOfficial source · cdn.who.int

Lower unemployment than 66% of Australian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 84% of Australian cities that publish it.

Which Australia-wide rules apply when you move to Brisbane?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in AustraliaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Brisbane.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€1304

Utilities, 85 m² flat€135

Transport pass€127

Internet, 60 Mbps€48

Fitness club€40

Mobile plan, 10 GB€25

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	39.51 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	48.44 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	1,304 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	12.83 EUR	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	24.5 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Cost of Living in Brisbane. Jul 2026. Prices in Brisbane¹⁰Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass	127.1 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	135.1 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹²Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings	944,606 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Main residence dwellings	883,324 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Median weekly rent (AUD)	380 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median monthly rent	1,046 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02⁴Official
Median monthly rent (whole dwelling)	1,046 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02⁴Official

Is Brisbane a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker56%strong on work, weak on safety · range 47–65%

Skilled employee63%strong on work, weak on safety · range 55–71%

Student35%strong on education, weak on safety · range 27–43%

Family55%strong on family, weak on safety · range 46–64%

Retirement37%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 26–48%

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 4% in March 2026. Median personal income was A$851 per week in August 2021. Median household income was A$1,870 per week in August 2021.

What is the unemployment rate in Brisbane?

The unemployment rate is 4 % (March 2026). Source: DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026¹¹

Unemployment across cities in AustraliaUnemployment in Brisbane is 4.0%. Of 100 cities with data, 32 have unemployment of 4 to under 5%.

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Brisbane 4.0%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
People in full-time employment	728,989 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Employment rate	61.4 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Median household income (AUD/week)	1,870 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median personal income (AUD/week)	851 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,288 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	www.abs.gov.au⁹Official
Average net monthly salary	3,605 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/au/brisbane/¹³Community estimate · Supplemental context
Unemployment rate	4 %country median 4.5%	31 Mar 2026	DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026¹¹Independent

What does a salary buy in Brisbane?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€0of €0 take-home

Rent
Utilities
Transport
Internet
Mobile

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	outside the model's range
Rentmedian rent of a whole dwelling · official · 2021 Census General Community Profile, SUA, G02 · 2021-12-31	− €1,046
Public transport pass€127 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €127
Utilities, 85 m²€135 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €135
Internet€48 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €48
Mobile plan€25 · market price · Cost of Living in Brisbane. Jul 2026. Prices in Brisbane · 2026-07-31	− €25
Left over	—

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Brisbane Salary needed to live in Brisbane

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Brisbane. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Workforce Australia — Public employment service

Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

Job Search

Open official service

Open the Australia service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Brisbane. Sources checked through 11 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public language course providers	1 count	31 Aug 2026	Official public language-service provider/location register⁶Official
People who speak a language other than English at home	18.17 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official

Language courses and integration in Brisbane

1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally

1verified local records

1publicly funded course provider

Multicultural Australia

View official record

Check courses in Brisbane How the country programme works

Exact city-linked record checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Find courses near Brisbane

Climate and air quality

Average high temperatures were 30.5°C in January and 22.1°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 140.5 mm in January and 26.4 mm in July.

Is the air quality good in Brisbane?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7.5 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int³

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

30°22°

30°21°

29°20°

27°17°

24°14°

22°12°

22°10°

23°11°

26°14°

27°16°

28°19°

30°20°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

141

150

115

129

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

268

223

238

235

226

204

236

268

266

270

274

270

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.57.5WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in AustraliaAnnual PM2.5 in Brisbane is 7.5 µg/m³. Of 37 cities with data, 12 have annual PM2.5 of 5 to under 6 µg/m³.

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–10

Brisbane 7.5

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	7.5 µg/m³country median 6.0	31 Dec 2019	cdn.who.int³Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 30.5 · Feb 30.2 · Mar 29.1 · Apr 27.2 · May 24.5 · Jun 22 · Jul 22.1 · Aug 23.4 · Sep 25.7 · Oct 27 · Nov 28.4 · Dec 29.6 °C	31 Dec 2020	BOM monthly climate statistics — BRISBANE, 1991-2020²Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan 21.7 · Feb 21.4 · Mar 20.2 · Apr 17.4 · May 13.8 · Jun 11.9 · Jul 10.4 · Aug 10.8 · Sep 13.9 · Oct 16.4 · Nov 18.8 · Dec 20.5 °C	31 Dec 2020	BOM monthly climate statistics — BRISBANE, 1991-2020²Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 25.3 · Feb 25.1 · Mar 23.8 · Apr 21.2 · May 18.4 · Jun 16 · Jul 15.2 · Aug 15.9 · Sep 18.5 · Oct 20.6 · Nov 22.6 · Dec 24.2 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station BRISBANE AERO⁸Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 140.5 · Feb 150.4 · Mar 115.3 · Apr 58.8 · May 59.7 · Jun 65.7 · Jul 26.4 · Aug 35.4 · Sep 27.3 · Oct 82.8 · Nov 88 · Dec 129.1 mm	31 Dec 2020	BOM monthly climate statistics — BRISBANE, 1991-2020²Official
Average sunshine by month	Jan 268.4 · Feb 223.4 · Mar 237.8 · Apr 234.7 · May 225.5 · Jun 204.3 · Jul 236.4 · Aug 267.8 · Sep 266.2 · Oct 269.9 · Nov 273.5 · Dec 270.3 hours	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station BRISBANE AERO⁸Official · nearest-station reading

Population and city profile

How many people live in Brisbane?

The published population was 2,487,568 people in June 2021. Source: ABS Regional population, 2024-25 — 32180DS0004 Table 2: Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas¹

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport72.8%
Foreign residents27.2%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	6,462 km²	31 Dec 2021	Official ASGS2016 SUA area from ABS ArcGIS attributes, area albers sqkm. Exact queue geography; not GCCSA or LGA.⁵Official
Foreign-resident share	32 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census GCP Significant Urban Areas for Australia (DataPack)⁴Official
Foreign residents	676,222 people	10 Aug 2021	Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality.⁴Official
Population density	424.8 people/km²	31 Dec 2025	Reproducible exact-ASGS2016-SUA density: ABS ERP at 30 June 2021 divided by ABS ASGS2016 SUA area. Existing local population baseline is only a recovered cross-check; no GCCSA/LGA observation.⁷Official · significant urban area
Female residents	1,245,137 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Male residents	1,202,144 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Population	2,487,568 people	30 Jun 2021	ABS Regional population, 2024-25 — 32180DS0004 Table 2: Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas¹Official

Population over time25 published observations, 2001–2025

1,552,779

1,979,654

2,406,530

2,833,405

2,745,086200120052011201520212025

Population rose 67.3% between 2001 and 2025, from 1,641,098 to 2,745,086.

International community in Brisbane

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G09 PERSONS total across age groups and sex · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total	2,447,280	100.0%
Australia	1,663,891	68.0%
New Zealand	109,251	4.5%
Country of birth not stated	107,167	4.4%
England	92,344	3.8%
Born elsewhere(d)	75,160	3.1%
India	51,543	2.1%
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)(c)	41,877	1.7%
Philippines	27,037	1.1%
South Africa	26,611	1.1%
Vietnam	20,151	0.8%

Show 42 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Korea, Republic of (South)	13,183	0.5%
Taiwan	12,759	0.5%
Malaysia	11,767	0.5%
Scotland	11,645	0.5%
Fiji	10,724	0.4%
United States of America	10,306	0.4%
Hong Kong (SAR of China)(c)	9,768	0.4%
Germany	9,131	0.4%
Papua New Guinea	8,894	0.4%
Sri Lanka	8,725	0.4%
Samoa	7,992	0.3%
Ireland	7,541	0.3%
Thailand	7,414	0.3%
Italy	6,478	0.3%
Nepal	6,453	0.3%
Iran	6,262	0.3%
Netherlands	6,096	0.2%
Canada	5,986	0.2%
Brazil	5,613	0.2%
Japan	5,605	0.2%
Zimbabwe	5,276	0.2%
Indonesia	5,183	0.2%
Singapore	5,140	0.2%
Pakistan	4,898	0.2%
Afghanistan	4,290	0.2%
France	3,474	0.1%
Myanmar	3,406	0.1%
Poland	3,230	0.1%
Wales	2,996	0.1%
Iraq	2,665	0.1%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2,497	0.1%
Bangladesh	2,319	0.1%
Greece	2,252	0.1%
Croatia	1,942	0.1%
Cambodia	1,921	0.1%
Chile	1,891	0.1%
Egypt	1,632	0.1%
Turkey	1,242	0.1%
Lebanon	1,159	0.0%
Mauritius	915	0.0%
Malta	895	0.0%
North Macedonia	701	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Country of birth

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G01 total persons denominator · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total persons	2,447,280	100.0%
Australia	1,663,891	68.0%
Elsewhere (excludes country of birth not stated)	676,222	27.6%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Citizenship

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G01 total persons denominator · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total persons	2,447,280	100.0%
Australian citizen	2,043,689	83.5%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁴

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	27.63 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Households	883,324 households	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Labour force participation rate	65 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁴Official
Median age	36 years	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official
Median monthly mortgage repayment (AUD)	1,896 AUD/month	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁴Official

Alternatives for people set on Brisbane

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Sydney as a Brisbane alternative in the same country

Better on 2 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Foreign residents cannot be compared like for like.

Residents: 4,858,605 Sydney vs 2,487,568 Brisbane+95%
Foreign residents: 40.6% Sydney vs 32.0% Brisbaneno percentage
Median gross pay, region: €2,409 Sydney vs €2,288 Brisbane+5%
Unemployment: 4.2% Sydney vs 4.0% Brisbane+5%
Basic utilities, 85 m²: €126 Sydney vs €135 Brisbane−7%
A meal out: €13 Sydney vs €13 Brisbanesame level

Full comparison More about Sydney

Alternative cities in Australia

Other cities in Australia to compare with Brisbane, nearest in population first.

All Australia cities

Perth2,098,239 residents Adelaide1,368,209 residents Sydney4,858,605 residents Melbourne4,874,520 residents Gold Coast701,928 residents Newcastle510,175 residents

How does Brisbane compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Brisbane's.

Open the full comparison

Brisbane in rankings

#2 of 30 in Largest cities in Australia #5 of 30 in Most international cities in Australia #11 of 30 in Cities with the largest foreign populations #13 of 30 in Largest cities in ImmigrationDB #24 of 30 in Cities with the most published annual sunshine #26 of 30 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Australia

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Brisbane when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Put Brisbane's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Brisbane?

The published population was 2,487,568 people in June 2021. Source: ABS Regional population, 2024-25 — 32180DS0004 Table 2: Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas.

Is the air quality good in Brisbane?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 7.5 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int.

What is the unemployment rate in Brisbane?

The unemployment rate is 4 % (March 2026). Source: DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026.

What is the typical salary around Brisbane?

The median gross salary is 2,288 EUR/month. Source: www.abs.gov.au.

How many foreign residents live in Brisbane?

676,222 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality..

How much is public transport in Brisbane?

A monthly transport pass is 127.1 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2.

Is Brisbane a good place to live?

Brisbane may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Australia live in Brisbane?

The official country of birth distribution records 1,663,891 people (68.0%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Brisbane, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 5f873b45f823c39c12bc945defd6f8cb]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/brisbane/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_brisbane-australia-population-rent-salary-jobs-climate_fe22da2980a1,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Brisbane, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {5f873b45f823c39c12bc945defd6f8cb},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/brisbane/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Brisbane, Australia: population, rent, salary, jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/brisbane/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 5f873b45f823c39c12bc945defd6f8cb; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

ABS Regional population, 2024-25 — 32180DS0004 Table 2: Estimated resident population, Significant Urban Areas ABS Regional population, 2024-25 · abs.gov.au · checked 2026-09-19
BOM monthly climate statistics — BRISBANE, 1991-2020 BOM monthly climate statistics · bom.gov.au · checked 2026-07-26
cdn.who.int cdn.who.int · checked 2026-08-26
Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality. abs.gov.au · checked 2021-08-10
Official ASGS2016 SUA area from ABS ArcGIS attributes, area albers sqkm. Exact queue geography; not GCCSA or LGA. geo.abs.gov.au · checked 2016-07-01
Official public language-service provider/location register immi.homeaffairs.gov.au · checked 2026-09-15
Reproducible exact-ASGS2016-SUA density: ABS ERP at 30 June 2021 divided by ABS ASGS2016 SUA area. Existing local population baseline is only a recovered cross-check; no GCCSA/LGA observation. abs.gov.au · checked 2021-06-30
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station BRISBANE AERO WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
www.abs.gov.au abs.gov.au · checked 2026-08-27
Cost of Living in Brisbane. Jul 2026. Prices in Brisbane numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-27

Show 3 more sources

DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026 DEWR · dewr.gov.au · checked 2026-07-26
Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27
Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/au/brisbane/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.