I reluctantly moved to Brisbane two years ago.
Why?
Because my husband was commuting up here for work and the daily slog from the Gold Coast was draining the life out of him (and me).
So, we packed up our life and moved to the city.
Brisbane was never on my list of places to live in Australia.
The reason is simple: there’s no beach. I grew up on the coast, I love the ocean, and the idea of swapping salt air for the Brisbane River didn’t exactly excite me.
But I came here with an open mind, a positive attitude and a commitment to give it a real go.
I’ve also lived in Sydney, so when I talk about the pros and cons of living in Brisbane, you’ll find a few comparisons to life down south and on the Gold Coast.
If you’re weighing up a move here, hopefully my honest take helps you figure out whether it’s the right call for you.
The Pros of Living in Brisbane
The outdoor lifestyle
Life here is geared around being outside, and I’m all for it.
It’s city living, but with the kind of outdoor culture you’d normally have to leave a city to find.
The botanic gardens, riverwalks and inner-city parks mean even “doing nothing” usually involves being outdoors.
We go camping often, do day trips to waterfalls in the hinterland, picnic in the parks, swim at the river beaches, and spend most weekends with bare feet exploring the outdoors.
There are real job opportunities
Brisbane is a capital city, and it’s growing fast. That growth has translated into genuine job opportunities across construction, healthcare, tech, education and professional services.
And the salaries here are competitive without the Sydney cost of living attached.
It’s great for families
We moved to Brisbane with a baby (who has since grown into a very active toddler) and we’ve recently added another bub to the crew.
So, trust me when I say Brisbane is a great place to raise a family.
It’s extremely safe, which is always my number one concern with kids.
The playgrounds are next level – they’re proper adventure playgrounds with climbing structures, flying foxes and shaded areas (which matters more than you think in this heat).
There are splash parks dotted all over the city, the walking trails along the river are pram-friendly and genuinely scenic, and there’s always some free family event running on the weekend.
Housing is affordable (compared to Sydney and the Gold Coast)
Affordable housing? This one’s debatable.
I’m not saying rentals in Brisbane are “cheap” – because they’re not. But you do get more for your money than you would in Sydney or on the coast.
For families, this value-for-money difference is huge.
We’re currently renting a three-bedroom house with a pool, a short drive from the city. There’s no way we’d be able to afford something like this in Sydney. We’d be in a small two-bedroom apartment if we were lucky, and probably nowhere near the water.
It’s easy to get around
Unlike Sydney, you don’t need to drive halfway across the state to get anywhere. A 15-minute drive will usually take you wherever you need to go.
Yes, it’s a city, so peak hour traffic exists, but outside of those windows I’ve found it pretty painless to get from one side to the other.
Weekend escapes are easy
This is one of my favourite things about living in Brisbane.
You don’t need to drive far to find hinterland forests (Maleny and Montville), rolling farmlands (the Scenic Rim), or gorgeous beaches (Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast).
All of these are within a 90-minute drive of the city.
And three of the world’s largest sand islands – Moreton, Straddie and Fraser – are just a short ferry ride away.
In two years here, we’ve barely scratched the surface, and that’s with us heading off most weekends.
The Cons of Living in Brisbane
There’s no beach
This one is subjective. But my biggest downside of living in Brisbane is the lack of a beach.
There’s just the Brisbane River winding through the city – and Streets Beach in South bank (which is a small man-made beach alongside the river).
The closest proper beaches are about an hour and 15 minutes away on the Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast.
Gary and I both grew up by the beach and love being near the ocean, so before moving to Brisbane we promised each other we’d drive down every chance we got.
But the reality? Driving 90 minutes to the beach is still a long way – especially when you have 2 small kids in tow.
Plus, weekend traffic often turns the drive into a two-hour traffic jam.
These days we plan beach trips properly and treat them more like mini holidays than spontaneous outings.
The heat and humidity
Locals will tell you that the sunny weather is one of the biggest pros of living in Brisbane. And for many people it is.
But I’m not used to this kind of heat – and the humidity is next level. It’s noticeably worse than what I experienced when living on the Gold Coast.
I’ve done two summers here now, and it has not gotten easier.
I genuinely struggle to enjoy being outside when it’s this sticky, which means I end up staying at home more than I’d like.
Air conditioning in every room was a non-negotiable for us. From November through to February, my aircon is on permanently and Gary is in the pool with the kids most afternoons.
The flip side is the city does a great job of catering for the heat. Streets Beach at South Bank, public pools, and splash parks are everywhere.
There’s no daylight savings
Brisbane, like the rest of Queensland, doesn’t do daylight savings.
In summer, this means the sun is up at 4:30am, the birds are screaming by 5am, and your kids are wide awake and ready to start the day at 5:30am.
And by 6:30pm? It’s dark.
I’d much rather have an extra hour at night, but instead the day feels like it’s over before dinner.
The public transport is a hit and miss
Brisbane’s public transport is genuinely a mixed bag. The trains are great. The buses? Not so much.
We wanted to be a 30-minute commute into the city via public transport, so we moved to Paddington (after a stint in Greenslopes).
What we didn’t realise is that the buses don’t run to schedule, and the timing on Google Maps is rarely accurate.
Gary often waits up to 30 minutes for a bus that’s supposed to come every 15. A standard 25-minute commute home from work can blow out to nearly an hour on a bad day.
The trains, on the other hand, run like clockwork and are far more reliable – if you’re lucky enough to live near a line.
So, if you’re house-hunting and planning to commute, prioritise train suburbs over bus-only ones.
It’s extremely hilly
Something nobody warned me about: Brisbane is hilly. If you’re looking at suburbs to move to, factor this in.
“Close to everything” on a real estate listing might mean “close to everything if you’re happy to climb a small mountain to get there.”
We’ve lived on both the north and south sides of the river and there are hills everywhere.
My son’s daycare is less than a kilometre from our house, but I drive him because the walk involves two genuinely steep hills.
READ MORE: THE BEST THINGS TO DO IN STANTHORPE
It’s still a city
This one’s personal (again).
I’m a small-town girl at heart. While Brisbane is one of the more relaxed, friendly capitals in Australia, it’s still a city.
There’s congestion, there are high-rise buildings going up everywhere, and there are a lot of people.
If you’re moving from somewhere quieter, that adjustment is real, no matter how leafy your suburb is.
Is it worth living in Brisbane
Honestly? After two years of life in Brisbane, I’m still asking myself that question.
For now, the answer is yes.
The job opportunities are great, we can get out and explore somewhere new every weekend, and Gary isn’t losing hours of his life to a commute.
The kids are thriving, we’ve got the kind of house we’d never afford in Sydney, and the lifestyle suits us – most of the time.
But I miss the beach and crave a small town, coastal vibe.
If you’re moving to Brisbane from Sydney (or a major capital city) and chasing more space, better weather and a more relaxed pace, living here will probably feel like a dream.
But if you’re coming from a small coastal town and the beach is non-negotiable, it’s a harder sell.
Looking for more Queensland travel inspiration? Here are a few adventures we’ve been on.
