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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Ranking of cities in Australia for 2026. Cairns leads with a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,820/month.
Ranking of cities in Australia for 2026. Cairns leads with a cost index of 100 and rent of $1,820/month.
Cairns: cost index 100 (-13 vs national avg 113), rent $1,820/month.
Queensland region average cost index: 105. Cairns is -5 vs region peers.
Quality of life: 63/100 — safety 58, healthcare 62, walkability 55.
Safety score: 58/100 (crime rate 68.2/1k). National average: 66/100.
The conventional wisdom says one thing. The data says another: Cairns has a cost index of 100 — 13 points below the Australia national average of 113. Median income is $66,000 with rent at $1,820/month, putting the rent-to-income ratio at 33%. Financially, that's significant.
On quality of life, Cairns scores a composite score of 63/100 — reflecting its safety (58), healthcare (62), and walkability (55) metrics. And there's one more thing: affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and Australia is a good example of that tension.
Cairns — cost index 100, rent $1,820/mo, income $66,000, QoL 63/100.
Newcastle — cost index 110, rent $2,250/mo, income $76,000, QoL 62/100.
Cairns has a cost index of 100 (national avg: 113), rent $1,820/mo, median income $66,000/yr, and a quality of life score of 63/100.
The Queensland region of average QoL score is 63/100. Cairns leads with 63/100, reflecting safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include ABS, CoreLogic, ATO.
Cairns: cost index 100, rent $1,820/mo, income $66,000/yr, QoL 63/100. Newcastle: cost index 110, rent $2,250/mo, income $76,000/yr, QoL 62/100.
This analysis uses data from ABS, CoreLogic, ATO to rank cities in Australia. The cost of living index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Quality of life scores combine safety, healthcare, walkability, air quality, green space, and transit metrics. Salary ranges use national occupation data adjusted for local cost differences. Data is updated regularly to reflect current market conditions.