Should you visit Brisbane or Auckland?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Brisbane and Auckland can help you decide which place is right for you.
Brisbane
Although Brisbane is often overlooked as a travel destination in Australia, it is the capital of the state of Queensland, and is the third largest city in Australia. It's a very young and vibrant city with an active nightlife and a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. It's a modern and economically thriving city and, if you do have time to visit, it actually has a lot to offer travelers. It has some beautiful scenery, a wonderful warm climate all year long, and is actually one of the fastest growing cities in Australia.
Auckland
Auckland is located on the North Island of New Zealand on an isthmus between the Northland Peninsula and the other parts of the North Island. Auckland is not only a city but also a region. In 2010 New Zealand combined what had previously been four separate cities into one region. These cities include the southern city of Manukau, the western city of Waitakere, the North Shore in the north, and Auckland City. The City of Auckland is the largest city in Polynesia and is very diverse with many expatriates from elsewhere in Polynesia. This diversity becomes most apparent in Auckland's many festivals and sporting events.
Which city is cheaper, Auckland or Brisbane?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Brisbane is $118, while the average daily cost in Auckland is $133. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Brisbane and Auckland in more detail.
Accommodation
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $144 in Brisbane For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Double occupancy rooms typically run around $168 in Auckland For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
On average, meal and food prices in Brisbane cost around $28 per person, per day. While this price can vary widely by location, the type of restaurant, and the amount of food ordered, a typical meal often costs around $11.
Auckland food costs typically run travelers around $25 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
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Food
Meals for one day
Brisbane $28
Auckland $25
Typical Food prices in Brisbane
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Brisbane:
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Hamburger Lunch
$5.88
-
Cup of Coffee
$2.21
-
Chinese Food Lunch
$9.20
-
Ice cream
$4.05
-
Japanese Meal
$15
-
Smoothie
$4.78
-
Japanese Soup
$8.46
-
Coffee & Muffin
$5.15
-
Morning Mint Tea
$2.57
-
Veggie Burger & Chips
$10
-
Bread
$1.91
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Brisbane
For Brisbane, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Private Pizza Making Class in Hunter Valley:
$48
-
Pizza Paddle Sunset Kayak Tour in Bateman's Bay:
$66
-
Dinner Cruise at Sydney Harbour with Optional Mast Climb Experience:
$72
-
Cairns Dinner Cruise by Spirit of Cairns:
$73
-
Australian Outback Spectacular Dinner Show Ticket:
$74
-
Charles Darwin Dinner Cruise:
$75
-
Sydney Harbour Sunset Dinner Cruise by Captain Cook:
$77
-
Dumpling Cooking Class in Melbourne:
$80
-
Cairns Aquarium Twilight Tour with 3-Course Dinner:
$88
-
Pinnacles Sunset Dinner and Stargazing Tour:
$109
-
Private Cooking School in the Hunter Valley:
$114
-
Mexican Cooking Class in Melbourne:
$122
Typical Food prices in Auckland
For Auckland, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Auckland
For Auckland, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
-
Queenstown Skyline Gondola and Luge Ride with Optional Buffet Lunch or Dinner:
$47
-
Taste Auckland Group Food Tour:
$98
-
Auckland Harbour Dinner Cruise:
$102
-
Auckland Harbour Sailboat Cruise Including Three Course Dinner:
$107
-
Sunset / Night Kayak to Rangitoto Island with BBQ Dinner:
$138
-
Queenstown Wine and Food Tour:
$141
Local Transportation
Brisbane's transportation costs can vary by the type of transport chosen by visitors. Naturally, taxis and private drivers cost much more than public transportation options. On average, visitors spend $16 per person, per day on transportation in Brisbane.
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Auckland than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend $15 on transportation in Auckland on average per day.
Typical Local Transportation prices in Brisbane
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Brisbane:
-
Airtrain to the City
$11
-
Go Card
$18
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Brisbane
Also for Brisbane, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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[Promotion: Adult at Kids Price] Hot Air Balloon Experience with Round-trip Transfers & Vineyard Champagne Breakfast in Gold Coast:
$191
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[Promotion: Adult at Kids Price] Hot Air Balloon Experience in Cairns with Round-trip Transfers:
$176
-
Wet'n'Wild Return Shared Shuttle Transfer from Gold Coast Hotels:
$18
-
Thredbo Day Trip with Round Trip Transfer from Sydney by Brighton Coach:
$81
-
Sunshine Coast Airport Arrival transfer to Hotels:
$14
-
SkyBus Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (MEL) Express Transfer Ticket:
$11
-
Sirromet Winery All inclusive Lunch @ Lurleens, Tour, Tastings and Transfers:
$158
-
Shared Sydney Airport Transfers (SYD) for Sydney:
$13
-
Shared Sunshine Coast Airport Transfers (MCY) for Sunshine Coast:
$12
-
Shared Shuttle Bus Transfers from Kings Canyon to Alice Springs:
$133
-
Shared Shuttle Bus Transfers between Ayers Rock and Kings Canyon:
$110
-
Shared Shuttle Bus Transfers between Alice Springs and Ayers Rock:
$133
Typical Local Transportation prices in Auckland
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Auckland:
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Bus from Airport
$11
-
Airport Shuttle
$18
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Auckland
Also for Auckland, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private Transfers to Cardrona Ski Field or Treble Cone Ski Field:
$629
-
Auckland Airport Transfers and Daily Tours:
$493
-
Auckland Private Tour including Airport Transfer:
$478
-
Private Luxury Transfers to The Remarkables:
$445
-
Auckland to Rotorua Private Chauffer Driven Transfer:
$445
-
Private Return Transfers from Queenstown to The Remarkables:
$431
-
Private Return Transfers from Queenstown to Coronet Peak:
$389
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Arrival Transfer: Auckland Airport to Rotorua with Optional Private Day Tour:
$387
-
Private Luxury Transfers to Coronet Peak:
$375
-
Great Barrier transfer - fly directly from Waiheke Island:
$185
-
Private Inter City Transfer From Auckland To Hamilton:
$148
-
Auckland Airport Transfers: Auckland to Auckland Airport AKL in Luxury Car:
$148
Is it cheaper to fly into Brisbane or Auckland?
Prices for flights to both Auckland and Brisbane change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
Sightseeing, admission tickets, things to do, and other entertainment expenses in Brisbane can vary widely by price. On average, visitors spend around $21 per person, per day on entertainment and sightseeing here.
Sightseeing expenses in Auckland, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of $26 per day, per person.
Typical Entertainment prices in Brisbane
For Brisbane, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:
Tours and Activities in Brisbane
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Brisbane.
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Abseiling Adventure in Adelaide :
$73
-
Half Day Kayak Tour in Bateman's Bay + FREE Paddle Pack:
$95
-
Hunter Valley Scenic Wine and Cheese Tour from Sydney:
$125
-
Nowra Treetop and Zipline Adventure:
$32
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Yarra Valley Hot Air Balloon Flight and Winery Tour:
$385
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'Have a Go' Clay Target Shooting Experience in Brisbane:
$110
-
12 Apostles, Otways & Great Ocean Road Hiking Adventure from Melbourne:
$132
-
1D1N Kangaroo Island Road to Recovery Tour:
$514
-
2D Best of Tasmania Sightseeing Tour: Hobart & Bruny Island :
$126
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2D Ultimate Marine Adventure from Port Lincoln:
$405
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2D1N Reefsleep Under the Stars Great Barrier Experience:
$416
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2D1N at the Wilderness Lodge with Walking Tours of Bungles and Cathedral Gorge:
$1,068
Typical Entertainment prices in Auckland
Below are a few sample prices from actual travelers for Auckland's activities, tours, and tickets:
Tours and Activities in Auckland
For Auckland, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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4WD-U Drive Experience:
$232
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Hobbiton Movie Set Day Tour from Auckland:
$140
-
Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves Tour from Auckland:
$211
-
Kaituna Whitewater Rafting Experience :
$84
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Kaituna Whitewater Sledging Experience:
$91
-
Milford Sound Vista Day Tour from Queenstown or Te Anau:
$127
-
Mt Tarawera Volcanic Crater Hiking Experience:
$131
-
Putt and Glow Indoor Mini Golf Experience in Queenstown:
$12
-
Queenstown Scenic Cruise - Spirit of Queenstown:
$28
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Queenstown Tiki Tour:
$70
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Rotorua Day Tour from Auckland:
$188
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Ultimate Queenstown Highlights Tour:
$77
Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In Brisbane, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is $45.
Typically, people visiting Auckland spend on average $13 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Typical Alcohol prices in Brisbane
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Brisbane:
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Evening at the Bar
$11
-
Sixpack of Beer
$10
-
Guiness Beer
$6.25
-
Sixpack of Beer
$9.56
Sample the Local Flavors in Brisbane
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Brisbane:
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Savannah Estate Wine Tasting in Hunter Valley:
$3.69
-
Hunter’s Dream Estate Wine Tasting in Hunter Valley:
$3.69
-
Misty Glen Wine Tasting in Hunter Valley:
$3.69
-
Tintilla Estate Wine Tasting in Hunter Valley:
$3.69
-
Pokolbin Estate Wine Tasting Experience:
$3.69
-
Tempus Two Wine Tasting Experience:
$3.69
-
Capercaillie Wine Tasting in Hunter Valley:
$3.69
-
Hanging Tree Wines Wine Tasting in Hunter Valley:
$3.69
-
Hungerford Hill Wine Tasting in Hunter Valley :
$7.39
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Wine Tasting at Thomas Wines:
$7.39
-
Talits Estate Cellar Door Wine Tasting Experience:
$7.39
-
Wine Tasting at Wine House in Hunter Valley:
$7.39
Sample the Local Flavors in Auckland
Also in Auckland, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Tour and Tastings in an Urban Craft Beer Brewery:
$23
-
Sip Marlborough Wine Tour:
$69
-
Wine Tours from Queenstown:
$71
-
Gibbston Valley Ride and Wine Tours:
$88
-
Bubbly Grape Marlborough Wine Tours:
$92
-
Wild West Coast & Black Sand Beach Tour incl Craft Beer Brewery Lunch & Tasting:
$100
-
Afternoon Brewery Tour with Lunch in Queenstown:
$117
-
Wine Tasting Sampler Tour from Queenstown:
$119
-
Queenstown’s Original Wine Tour:
$119
-
Premium Full Day Waiheke Wine Tour:
$125
-
Small-Group Wine Tasting Experience on Waiheke Island:
$131
-
Taste Marlborough Wine Tour:
$138
When comparing the travel costs between Brisbane and Auckland, we can see that Auckland is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Since both cities are in Pacific, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.
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