Australia, Brisbane

Country Full Name: Commonwealth of Australia.

Country Location: Australia is in Oceania, a continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean.

Country Climate: Generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north.

Country Terrain: Mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast.

Country Major Languages: English.

Country Major Religions: Christianity.

Location Population: 2.1 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Australia is a prosperous, free market economy dominated by its services sector, representing 68% of Australian GDP. The agricultural and mining sectors (10% of GDP combined) account for 57% of the nation's exports.

Country Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD).

Country Inflation: 2% (2012 est.).

Brisbane is the state capital of the Australian state of Queensland and is the largest city in that state. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia.

Brisbane's economy is diverse. White-collar industries include information technology, financial services, higher education and public sector administration generally concentrated in and around the central business district and recently established office areas in the inner suburbs. Blue-collar industries, including petroleum refining, stevedoring, paper milling, metalworking and QR railway workshops, tend to be located on the lower reaches of the Brisbane River and in new industrial zones on the urban fringe. Tourism is an important part of the Brisbane economy, both in its own right and as a gateway to other areas of Queensland.

The cost of living in Brisbane is very high compared to other places. This is based on a comparison of locally collected prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services, converted to USD. Sources include local service providers in each location, international service providers, official governmental statistics and global agency data. The data is quality assured and manually checked by Xpatulator Analysts. The prices of similar related items have been grouped together into 13 basket groups and the cost of living index calculated for each basket in each location. The 13 basket groups are the result of extensive research of actual spending habits ensuring the cost of living indexes reflect a reality-based international expenditure pattern. The cost of living index for each basket for Brisbane is only available using our online calculators.

The current overall cost of living rank (using all 13 baskets) for Brisbane is 38 out of 780 international locations covering every country in the world (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The current cost of living rank for each basket is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are very high compared to other places for items such as beer, spirits, wine and cigarettes. There are 37 places that are more expensive, and 742 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are very high compared to other places for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. There are 59 places that are more expensive, and 720 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are very high compared to other places for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile tariff and data costs. There are 28 places that are more expensive, and 751 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 600 places that are more expensive, and 179 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are high compared to other places for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofa. There are 175 places that are more expensive, and 604 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are very high compared to other places for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. There are 83 places that are more expensive, and 696 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are very high compared to other places for doctor visit, hospital stay, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. There are 112 places that are more expensive, and 667 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very high compared to other places for items such as apartment purchase, mortgage rate, rental, and utilities. There are 81 places that are more expensive, and 698 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very high compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. There are 97 places that are more expensive, and 682 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very high compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. There are 78 places that are more expensive, and 701 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are very high compared to other places for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. There are 91 places that are more expensive, and 688 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are very high compared to other places for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in restaurants, and take away food and beverages. There are 25 places that are more expensive, and 754 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are very high compared to other places for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. There are 49 places that are more expensive, and 730 places that are less expensive for transport.

Hardship
Hardship in the context of an expatriate and their family refers to the degree of hardship they are likely to experience and the relative impact on their lifestyle in a host location. The degree of hardship correlates to the degree of difference between the home and host location. Hardship pay is compensation for the hardship likely to be endured during an international assignment in order to encourage people to move, in particular to less desirable locations.

Hardship factors include-:
Economic Factors: Such as poverty levels and level of service provision
Political Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different points of view / lifestyle
Religious Factors: Such as freedom/tolerance towards different religions
Public Service Factors: Such as provision of water, electricity, sanitation, work permits etc
Environment/Climate Factors: Such as extreme weather
Personal Safety Factors: Such as personal safety / level of crime
Health Factors: Such as prevalence of disease and health standards
Education Factors: Such as education standards, prevalence of international schools
Transportation Factors: Such as prevalence of public transport, fuel and road safety.

The ratings for hardship are classified into four main groups and can be described as follows:
1) Minimal Hardship (10% Hardship Premium)
2) Some Hardship (20% Hardship Premium)
3) High degree of Hardship (30% Hardship Premium)
4) Extreme Hardship (40% Hardship Premium).

Brisbane is ranked as minimal hardship with a typical hardship premium of 10%.

Reference
The above information is updated quarterly using data collected over the previous 12 months. The international cost of living & hardship indexes are only available using our online expatriate calculators to enable users to create personalized cost of living comparison reports:

Salary Purchasing Power Parity Calculator
Cost of Living Index Calculator
Cost of Living Allowance Calculator

Published by Xpatulator.com on 1 April 2013.

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