How much does it cost to live in Cairns?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$2,398 (A$3,365)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: digitalnomadexchange.com, australia.trovit.com
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $1,435 (A$2,013)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $3,536 (A$4,961)
Good to know
Good to Know
- Cairns is a major tourist hub, so restaurants and accommodation right on the Esplanade/CBD tend to run noticeably higher than suburbs like Edge Hill, Freshwater, or Cairns North just a short drive away.
- Many Cairns rental listings (especially share-house rooms) are quoted per week rather than per month — always double-check whether a price you're seeing is weekly or monthly before comparing options.
- General cost-of-living aggregators often quote long-term, unfurnished 12-month lease rents, which typically understate what you'll actually pay for a furnished, flexible short-term stay as a nomad — budget above the 'average rent' figures you'll see quoted online.
- Grocery prices in Cairns run somewhat higher than in southern Australian cities due to freight distances, so budgeting slightly above capital-city grocery estimates is sensible.
- Cairns' TransLink bus fares are a flat 50 cents per trip regardless of distance (made permanent in November 2024), making day-to-day bus travel extremely cheap.
- No public bus serves Cairns Airport — plan on a taxi, rideshare (Uber/Didi/1300 Rideshare), or pre-booked shuttle to get into town.
- Cairns' coworking scene is small — a handful of spaces (theSpace, Art Work Spaces, The Bunker, Bolands Centre) rather than a large ecosystem, so options and drop-in flexibility are more limited than in a major Australian city.
- Medicare (Australia's public healthcare) is not available to most foreign digital nomads, so budget for private GP visits and carry travel/health insurance.
- Business-facing prices (like coworking desks) are often quoted plus GST (10%), so the sticker price may not be the final price.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- A$3,365
Includes 6 estimated components
- Lean month
- A$2,013
Includes 4 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- A$4,961
Includes 7 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- No single dominant 'digital nomad district' is documented for Cairns, but expat/relocation guidance points to Cairns City Centre (around the CBD/Esplanade), Cairns North, and Edge Hill as the most commonly chosen residential areas for newcomers, with Trinity Beach/Clifton Beach as a beachside alternative slightly further out. Housing figures below are grounded in listings for these areas where possible.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- A$1,992
Survey / cost-of-living site
Wise's cost-of-living page states the average monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in the Cairns city centre is AUD $1,992. Note this reflects a general (likely unfurnished, longer-lease) rental average rather than a furnished short-stay listing, so it may understate true short-term nomad rent.
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- Not shown: failed a consistency check
- Premium apartment
- A$3,200
Estimated
No single live listing with a firm price was retrieved for a premium furnished apartment. Estimated as roughly 1.5-1.6x the mid-tier city-centre 1BR average, reflecting premium waterfront/resort-style buildings (e.g. Esplanade-facing complexes) referenced in listing aggregators without a stated monthly price.
- Private room in a shared home
- A$1,300
Local listing
Trovit aggregator listing states a furnished shared-house room near Smithfield (northern Cairns, ~15 min from CBD) at AUD 300/week; converted here to a monthly figure (300 x 52 / 12).
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- A$500
Estimated
No single authoritative Cairns-specific monthly grocery figure was retrieved with confidence in its currency labelling; estimated based on typical regional-Australia supermarket spend for one person cooking most meals at home.
Sample prices
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- A$2.00
Estimated
Estimated from typical Australian supermarket pricing; no Cairns-specific item price page was retrieved.
Loaf of White Bread
- Loaf Of White Bread
- A$4.50
Estimated
Estimated from typical Australian supermarket pricing; no Cairns-specific item price page was retrieved.
Dozen Eggs
- Dozen Eggs
- A$6.50
Estimated
Estimated from typical Australian supermarket pricing; no Cairns-specific item price page was retrieved.
Chicken Breast, 1kg
- Chicken Breast, 1kg
- A$12
Estimated
Estimated from typical Australian supermarket pricing; no Cairns-specific item price page was retrieved.
Bottled Water 1.5L (Supermarket)
- Bottled Water 1.5L (Supermarket)
- A$2.50
Estimated
Estimated from typical Australian supermarket pricing (store price, not restaurant); no Cairns-specific item price page was retrieved.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- A$17
Estimated
Wise's cost-of-living page states a meal at an inexpensive restaurant in Cairns costs approximately AUD $22. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 22 AUD reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- A$80
Survey / cost-of-living site
Cost-of-living blog citing Numbeo-style data states higher-end restaurant meals in Cairns can go up to AUD $80 per person.
- Mid-range meal
- A$45
Estimated
Wise states a three-course mid-range meal for two averages AUD $120; halved here to an estimated single-person figure of AUD $60, so basis is estimated rather than a direct per-person source figure. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 60 AUD reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Day pass
- A$40
Operator's own price
theSpace Cairns' own site lists casual day-pass visits at $40/day standard rate, with occasional promotional pricing down to $25/day; this listing's exact currency (which calendar year's promo) is unclear.
- Monthly hot desk
- A$320
Local listing
Rubberdesk marketplace listing (Q2 2025 market report) for a coworking desk for 1 person in Cairns CBD (matches Art Work Spaces' described amenities) at $320/desk/month +GST.
Transport
- About monthly passes
- TransLink Cairns moved to a flat 50-cent fare on every trip (made permanent by the Queensland Government in November 2024), so there is no separate zone-based monthly pass being actively marketed the way there was before the flat-fare policy — most riders just pay per trip. Weekly paper tickets exist for unlimited travel over 7 days, but a current post-flat-fare weekly/monthly price was not confirmed.
- Single ride
- A$0.50
Survey / cost-of-living site
Travel guide reports TransLink's flat 50-cent fare across all zones and modes applies to the Cairns regional bus network, checked against TransLink's own fare pages as of August 2026.
Mobile & data
- Monthly plan
- A$45
Estimated
Estimated mid-tier prepaid SIM plan (e.g. Telstra/Optus/Vodafone prepaid) typical for Australia; no single current carrier page was retrieved at the time of research.
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Dry season (May–October) sees peak occupancy with mid-range nightly rates rising 30–60% compared to wet season (November–March); peak tourism demand driven by superior weather and major events (Cairns Festival late August, CIAF July–August).
Low season
- Budget
- A$100
2-star hotel / basic studio; sources report ~$75 AUD low-season budget hotels, Jan-Mar lowest at $166 blended average
- Luxury
- A$420
5-star hotel; Booking $223 base, scaled down 30-40% for low season; consistent with off-peak Esplanade luxury pricing
- Premium
- A$280
4-star hotel; Booking $131 base, low-season scaling (30% of peak per brief)
- Standard
- A$200
3-star hotel; Booking $78 base, scaled to low season Jan $166 average via Skyscanner/momondo
High season
- Budget
- A$180
2-star hotel / basic studio Airbnb; Kayak/Booking reported budget hotels $59-67 AUD, scaled up for peak demand and 30-60% seasonal premium
- Luxury
- A$660
5-star hotel (Shangri-La, Crystalbrook Riley); Booking $223 average scaled to July peak; Cavmir data shows esplanade luxury $600-1,800 AUD range
- Premium
- A$420
4-star hotel; Booking reports $131 average, scaled for July peak ($283 blended average via multiple sources)
- Standard
- A$320
3-star hotel; Booking.com reports $78 average scaled to peak season (July $283/night via Skyscanner), mid-range tier ~40% of peak
Low-season months
- November
- December
- January
- February
- March
- April
High-season months
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Cairns
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.