Many Australians used to think of Brisbane as just a big country town, but in recent years, the capital of the Sunshine State has become a busy and fun place to live. The city has grown out of its rural roots and become a cosmopolitan hub of many different cultures. It is a lively place for both young professionals and families. Think of Sydney and Melbourne if they were smaller and cheaper. Brisbane has never been known for its nightlife, so the name “Brisvegas” has always been a little funny, but things change. With 2.27 million people, Brisbane is now one of the cities in Australia that is growing the fastest. Here’s everything you need to know about the city before you move there from the United States.
Location and geography
Queensland is 2.5 times bigger than Texas, so if you think Texas is big, you should see Queensland. Brisbane is in the southeast corner of the state of Queensland, which is in the northeastern part of Australia. This area is known as “the Sunshine State.” It makes sense, too, because on average, the state has 263 sunny days a year, which is more than any other state in Australia.
Brisbane has a large river that runs through the middle, a hilly center, and floodplains that cover most of the Greater Brisbane area. The city was founded in 1824 at the bend of the Brisbane River, so it’s safe to say that the people who live there have been through a few big floods. The last one was in December 2010, and since then, Brisbane’s flood defences have been getting better and better.
When it comes to earthquakes, Brisbane has been dealt a much better hand. There are sometimes earthquakes, but they are rarely strong enough for people to feel them. Seismologists say it’s very unlikely that an earthquake in Brisbane will do a lot of damage.
Climate
Brisbane gets more sunshine than any other Australian state capital. On average, the city in the Sunshine State has 283 sunny days a year, and that doesn’t even count the “partly sunny days.” The weather is definitely subtropical, and in the summer, the humidity is usually at its highest, between 65 and 70%. As you can see in the table below, the temperature doesn’t change much during the year. It stays between pretty warm and boiling hot.
Just so you know, if you like a white Christmas in the United States, you should know that it never snows in Brisbane. In southern Queensland, the most you’ll get are rare, light dustings.
Languages
Brisbane is like most big cities in Australia in that it has a lot of people from all over the world, especially from Southeast Asia. Population experts at ID say that 82% of Brisbane’s people speak English as their main language. After that, 2.6% speak Cantonese, 1.5% speak Cantonese, and 1.5% speak Vietnamese. At 0.8%, Italian is the next most common language. You can see all of the information here.here.
Moving to Brisbane
Before you even start to think about moving, there are a few practical things you should know.
Visas and work permits
No matter where in Australia you want to move, the visa rules are the same for US citizens. If you’re moving to Brisbane permanently, you’ll probably need a Skilled Migrant Visa, which will let you work there. Check out our full list of what US citizens need to do to get an Australian visa here.
Healthcare
Australia is lucky to have Medicare, a free health care system that is paid for by the government. Americans don’t have the right to use it, though. Expats from places like the UK and New Zealand can use Medicare, but everyone else has to pay for their own insurance.
So, we have teamed up with Cigna to offer private health insurance in Brisbane. Cigna will find you a plan that fits your needs. There are four levels of annual coverage to choose from, and you can add extra modules for more flexibility.
Start building a plan to protect your most important assets—you and your family—with a free quote.
Please note that one thing that makes Queensland stand out is that all ambulance services are free. In every other state, you have to pay for them.
Embassies
Australia is home to a few American embassies and consulates, but none of them are in Brisbane. The US consulate in Sydney, which is about 900 km down the coast, would be the first place you should go.
Moving costs
We’ve come up with a few estimates of how much it will cost to ship your things to Brisbane. The costs can vary a lot depending on what you’re moving, but this should give you a general idea. The prices are based on a 20-foot container with $70,000 worth of household goods.
Transferring money to Brisbane
If you want to move to Brisbane, you might need to change some of your US dollars into Australian dollars.
So, we’ve joined forces with Wise, an easy-to-use online service for sending money internationally that uses the real exchange rate and has low fees.
How much money could you save? Well, its services can be up to 8 times less expensive than those of traditional banks.
Join the 7 million people who are already using Wise and start using it today.
Living in Brisbane
Now comes the good part! Read on to find out everything you need to know about living and working in Brisbane.
Economy
“Australia’s New World City” is a more serious name for Brisbane. Brisbane has become an important part of both domestic and international trade because it is the city closest to East Asia in the United States. If you move to Brisbane now, you will be joining a city that is getting better. The economy of Greater Brisbane is worth about $154 billion, and this number is only expected to go up.
Employment
There are many job opportunities in Brisbane. Business services provide the most jobs in the city, and they cover a wide range of fields, from human resources and accounting to architecture and design. In May of 2017, healthcare, professional technical services, and retail trade were the top three most popular industries in Brisbane. Many big national and international companies, like Suncorp, Aurizon, and Domino’s, have offices in Brisbane. There are always jobs for both skilled and unskilled expats in a city that is growing quickly.
The traditional way to find work is to look in newspapers. Try the Brisbane Courier Mail and the Brisbane Times. But you can also use the Australian Government Career Information website and a popular Aussie job-hunting site to find information online.
Education
If you’re moving with your family, you might be thinking about where to send your kids to school and college. Luckily, the quality of education in Brisbane is very high.
Here are some of the best high schools in and around Brisbane:
Brisbane State High School opened in 1921 and serves more than 3000 students today. It is in South Brisbane at the corner of Cordelia Street.
Indooroopilly State High School is in the suburb of Indooroopilly, which sounds great. Aerospace Studies, which is required, is just one of many different courses.
All Hallows’ School has been around for 155 years, so it really is as old as it sounds. It’s a traditional school for girls only, and part of the uniform is a cute white hat. The annual fees are about $8,625 per year.
Brisbane Grammar School, is only for boys, on the other hand. With 1700 students and well-kept old buildings, you can decide if you want your son to stay there or just go during the day. The fees are between $15,000 and $20,000 per year.
There are no less than three world-class universities in Brisbane.
Griffith University, There are no less than three world-class universities in Brisbane. Griffith University was founded in 1971 with one campus and 451 students. It is in the top 3% of universities around the world. It now has 43,000 students and more than 300 degrees. That will help you grow.
Queensland University of Technology teaches more than 45,000 students, which beats that. This university was founded in 1989, so it isn’t as old as some of the others. However, it has a wide range of excellent degrees in technology.
The University of Queensland is last, but that doesn’t mean it’s least. It is the oldest university in the state, and in the QS World University Rankings, it comes in at number 47.
Cost of living
Check out our list of how much it costs to live in Brisbane. We’ve put the city’s prices in perspective by comparing them to those in New York. Numbeo says that New York’s prices are about 25% higher than those in Brisbane. To put all of this in perspective, the average monthly net salary (after taxes) in Brisbane is $3,318.49 and in New York it is $5,049.65.
Public transport
When it was built, Brisbane was pretty well thought out, so the city centre is made up of a simple grid. Streets like George Street and Edward Street are named after English kings. These streets meet with streets named after English queens. But if you don’t want to walk, there are many ways to get around Brisbane by public transportation. You’ll be glad to know that all of the buses and trams in this hot city have air conditioning.
Translink Go card
Translink is the company that runs all of the public transportation in Brisbane. If you’re going to live and work in Brisbane but won’t have a car, the best thing to do is get a Translink Go card. It’s much cheaper than paying for each trip separately, and you can easily add money to your card online.
Ferries
Brisbane’s way of life is shaped by the river that runs through it, so it’s not surprising that people there like to take the ferry. CityCats are the boats that Translink runs. They are a beautiful and easy way to get around the city.
Buses
Buses in Brisbane are clean, stylish, and easy to use. They are a great way to get around the central districts if you don’t want to take the ferry. Translink also runs a bus service called Nightlink that runs on weekends after midnight, so you can enjoy Brisbane’s nightlife without worrying about how to get home.
Trains
The rail system in the city uses electric trains, which are quiet and move pretty quickly. They link the centre of Brisbane to the suburbs, making it easy for people who live in the suburbs to get to work. The Airtrain service is helpful for the many people in Brisbane who fly often because it goes straight to Brisbane Airport. After all, Brisbane is Australia’s way in to Asia.
Bikes
Bicycles are a good choice if you’re in good shape and want to cut down on your carbon footprint. There are a lot of bike paths that go in and out of the city, so you can easily beat the buses on days when there is a lot of traffic. You don’t even have to have your own bike. The Brisbane City Council has a programme called CityCycle that lets you rent bikes at different spots around the city center. But they give the helmets away for free!
Free travel
When we talk about free, there are some buses and ferries in the city that you don’t have to pay for. Brisbane residents can use the City Loop and the Spring Hill Loop bus routes for free. In the same way, the CityHopper is a free ferry that runs between North Quay and Sydney Street every day.
Driving
It’s easy: if you have a licence to drive, whether it’s from Australia or another country, you can drive in Brisbane. Your commutes won’t be too bad, though. TomTom’s traffic index says that the level of traffic jams in Brisbane is only 28%, making it only the 96th worst city in the world for bad traffic. You could be in much worse shape.
Neighborhoods
We’d love to tell you about all of Brisbane’s almost 200 suburbs, but since there are so many, we think it’s best to just pick a few. There are great neighbourhoods in every part of the city, whether you go north, south, east, or west:
Hill Red
Red Hill is, not surprisingly, built on some pretty steep hills (although they are not red). This is a good place to live if you want to be close to the city centre (about 3 km away), but it’s a bit more expensive because of that. Many cafes, restaurants, and the Red Hill Special School serve the people who live in Red Hill. Canstar says that the average price of a home in the area is $646,808.
Everton Park
A long time ago, Everton Park and the nearby Everton Hills got their names from a cold and rainy part of England’s northwest. Everton Park is neither cold nor wet, which is a good thing. If you want a cheap place to live in the north of the city, this is a great choice. It’s great for families because there are lots of schools and nice cafes. Canstar says that the median price of a home in this area is $458,645.
Toowong is where MoveHub wants you to live on the west side of Brisbane. It has a beautiful setting, between the Brisbane River on the east and the Brisbane Botanic Gardens on the west. The elegant, tree-lined homes are close to the Toowong village shopping centre and some great pubs, like the Regatta Hotel. A house here costs an average of $616,231.
Corinda is right on the edge of the southern district of Brisbane. Corinda is much smaller than the other neighbourhoods we’ve talked about. Only 4,965 people live there, while 8,325 people live in Everton Park. The area started out as a small group of farmers. The name “Corinda” comes from the old cattle station in the area. Since then, the area has grown into a trendy and fairly affordable place to live. Its big parks, like Dunlop Park, are a big draw for the people who live there. About $504,118 will get you the average house here.
Carindale
In the east of Brisbane, there are a lot of places with the same name, like Carina, Carina Heights, and Carindale, which is made up of the words “Carina” and “dale.” In the 1850s, when Ebenezer Thorne built his estate, he named it after his daughter. Since then, her name has become very important in the area of east Brisbane. Carindale is a fairly new suburb. It was founded in 1980, and it is known for its big, expensive houses and a big shopping centre called Westfield Carindale. About $658,568 will buy you a house in Carindale.
Culture
Brisbane is the busy centre of the whole Sunshine State, so it makes sense that there are lots of things to do and places to see there. Since the weather is almost always nice, it makes sense that a lot of the city’s cultural events take place outside. Brisbane is lucky to have a lot of green space, as well as the river.
What to do
Many tourists choose to climb the beautiful Story Bridge, which crosses the Brisbane River. If you have the courage, this is something you should do while you’re there. In about two hours, you can climb 262 feet above sea level to see beautiful views of the city and the surrounding area.
When we talk about going beyond, there are a lot of things to do just outside of Brisbane. We’re talking about nature reserves that are the best in the world. If you go east, you’ll find the Moreton Bay Marine Park, which is full of amazing sea life. You can also go west to the Scenic Rim, which has many forests, valleys, and waterfalls.
But if it’s too hot to stay outside (which it will be sometimes), there are some great things to do inside. Across Victoria Bridge, on the South Bank, you’ll find the Queensland Cultural Centre. There are many beautiful buildings and interesting places to see here, like the Queensland Art Gallery, the Queensland Museum & Sciencentre, and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre.
Major events
If there’s one thing that shows that Brisbane is no longer a “big country town,” it’s the festivals that bring people from all over the country there every year. Here are a few of the best ones:
The Brisbane Comedy Festival brings together the best Australian comedians every year from late February to the middle of March. It’s always getting bigger. It began in 2009 at the huge Brisbane Powerhouse, but now it takes place at three different places. Bring your card for Translink!
Every year in September, all things Brisbane are celebrated at the Brisbane Festival, which sounds like it could be a lot of things. This is a well-known international arts festival with music, theatre, dance, and yes, even more comedy. Every year, more than a million people go to the festival, and in true Australian style, it ends with a big show of fireworks over the Brisbane River.
Sports
Most likely, Australian and American cultures have the most in common when it comes to sports. Sport is a big part of life in Brisbane, just like it is in every other city in Australia and the United States. If you want to live in Brisbane, you don’t have to like sports, but it helps.
For an active person, space to play sports is very important. The good news is that the Brisbane City Council knows this and provides a lot of space. We’ve already talked about the river and the bike lanes, but there are also 20 public swimming pools and a lot of sports facilities that are open to the public at certain times. Choose Brisbane says that there are also more than 6000 hectares of urban parks and more than 8000 hectares of conservation areas.
There are a lot of sports played in Brisbane, but soccer, cricket, tennis, and Australian rules football are probably the most popular (AFL). Australia is crazy about cricket, and if you don’t already know the rules, you should probably set aside a few days to learn them.
Check out some of the best places in the city:
The Brisbane Roar, the Brisbane Broncos, and the Queensland Reds all play at the Suncorp Stadium at 40 Castlemaine Street in Milton.
“The Gabba” is what people call the Brisbane Cricket Ground on Vulture Street in Woolloongabba. The Gabba is home to both national and international cricket, as well as the Brisbane Lions.
The Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (Kessels Road, Nathan) has a main stadium with almost 50,000 seats, an athletics venue with 2,100 seats, and a beach volleyball complex called The Beach. You can train here if you are a lucky athlete from the Queensland Academy of Sport.
Food
Brisbane is becoming a more diverse and cosmopolitan city, so it makes sense that it has so many places to eat. Because there are so many Chinese and Vietnamese people living in Brisbane, there is a wide range of East Asian food to choose from. In the same way, there are also a lot of restaurants that focus on using only food from Queensland. We’ve picked a few of the best places to eat in Brisbane:
Hakataya Ramen (Queen Street Mall Shop + many more) does some really good ramen, and people in Brisbane love it. They just opened a new store in the city center, and it looks like it will keep growing. Their Karaka-men pork noodle soup, which is very spicy, is especially good. You can get free ramen there on your birthday if you go there.
Gerard’s Bistro (Gerard’s Lane, 14/15 James Street) is the place to go for food from the Middle East and the Maghreb. You are encouraged to share the menu with other diners, which makes for a pretty unique banquet-style meal. From Blackmore wagyu flap and oxheart tomatoes to Morasa polow with Iranian fruit, there is a huge range of food to choose from.
Jan Powers Farmers Market (Queen Street) balances out the food scene around the world with some good local food. Every Wednesday, it pops up in the middle of Brisbane. It’s a real sensory overload, with bread, meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, flowers, spices, oils, and so on. People in Brisbane love Jan Powers and her long-running market businesses because they help more than 300 growers sell their crops.
Burger Project (144 Edward Street and Southpoint) could save your life. We know that American people who live abroad sometimes want to eat real American food. In Brisbane, there are plenty of places to get burgers, bagels, chicken wings, and hotdogs. Take, for example, the Burger Project. It’s one of the few places where the pictures of the burgers on their website are actually what the burgers look like, and they’re great. In a similar way, 5 Dogs has some of the best hot dogs in Brisbane. It’s easy to figure out what The Bagel Boys are good for..
Nightlife
People used to joke when they called Brisbane “Brisvegas,” but as the city grows, its nightlife is becoming more exciting and worth talking about. Most of the year, the days are very hot, so when night comes, it’s nice and warm, making it a great time to have drinks on a rooftop bar. On a rooftop in Brisbane, you can get a great view of the whole city. But there is a long list of other choices if you want something a little more unusual. Fortitude Valley is the place to go for fun in Brisbane, and it is full of dance clubs and places to see live music. There are also places for people who like grunge, hard-core metal, and funk. Take a look at some of MoveHub’s favourite spots in Brisbane for a fun night out:
Up on Constance (20 Constance Street, Fortitude Valley) will have everything you need if you want something stylish and classy. Here, well-dressed Brisbane residents go to drink cocktails as the sun goes down over the city. The people who work at Up on Constance really want you to try new things when you drink. That’s why they change their menu so often to include exciting new drinks. Try the “Picnic Food” or the “Sunburned Mexican.”
The Met (Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley)use the phrase “Brisbane’s hottest nightclub” to describe themselves. Well, if there are up to 5,000 people in there on a warm Brisbane night, it might get a little warm. The Met is a three-level club that is great for people who want to really party. The website tells you to “lose yourself,” which is exactly what you might do when they turn out the lights. The Met is very big, with three floors and five bars. Its size is both exciting and scary.
The Beat Megaclub (677 Ann Street, Fortitude Valley) is the largest LGBT+ nightclub in Brisbane. It opened in 1983 and has been rocking Fortitude Valley ever since. If you thought the Met was big, you should see this: five nightclubs, six beer gardens, and seven bars are all on the same property. It really lives up to the name “megaclub.” You can actually party there every day of the year, if you ever wanted to.
Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall (15 Caxton Street) is out there enough. We added it in case you wanted something completely different. Lefty’s is the place to go if you miss your home country of the United States and the 1800s. You can drink beer and whisky in a beautiful building that is on the heritage list. The feel of the honky-tonk saloon will take you back to the Old West and make you forget for a moment that you are in the east of Australia. The upstairs Mermaid Lounge has over 70 different kinds of rum for you to try. If you’re still not sure, you should know that they also give away free popcorn.
Crime rate
You have nothing to worry about in Brisbane. With a score of 34.21/100, Numbeo says that the level of crime in the city is “low.” Also, “safety when walking during daylight” got a score of 84.88, which is very high.
Further reading
There are some great books to choose from if you want to learn more about Brisbane. Here are some of the things we think you should do:
Fiction
The Slow Natives by Thea Astley is a beautiful book that takes place in Brisbane and shows the joys and problems of everyday life.
In his famous first book, Johnno, David Malouf brings Brisbane in the 1940s to life in a way that is both interesting and fun.
Non-fiction
In the book “Brisbane: Then and Now” by Helen Gregory, you can look at historical photos to see how much the cityscape has changed over the past 100 years.
Brisbane is a book by Matthew Condon. The author writes with warmth and interesting details about his hometown, Brisbane.
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