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The Most Expensive Places to be Healthy
From weekly groceries to health insurance, new data shows where Australians pay the most to stay well.
As the cost-of-living crunch continues to bite, it’s often the so-called “nice-to-haves” that are first on the chopping block when cutting costs. Taking care of your health can sometimes fall into that bracket, so health insurance comparison service iSelect analysed where the cost of staying healthy adds up the most.
We compared the average price of a basket of healthy groceries across 30 different regional hubs and cities around the country, alongside an average monthly gym membership, one hour tennis court hire on the weekend, typical health appointment costs and the cheapest health insurance premiums available in each state.
So, just how much does where you live influence what you’re paying to look after your health?
The most expensive places to be healthy in Australia
1. Canberra
Our capital city takes pole position as the most expensive place in Australia to take care of your health, with an index score of 8.38 out of 10. The city tops our index for the price of health appointments, with the average GP consult and specialist appointment costing patients $144.75 out of pocket. Canberra also recorded one of the highest costs of active leisure in our index, with the average activity forcing Canberrans to fork out $72.47 per activity.
2. Albury
The New South Wales regional hub of Albury claims second spot in our index with a score of 7.99 out of 10. We focused primarily on the NSW side of the border in Albury to simplify our index, rather than including its twin Victorian town of Wodonga. Albury topped our index for the price of active leisure, with the average monthly fitness club membership and tennis court rental (for one hour on the weekend) setting residents back a whopping $116.25. Attending medical appointments can also be costly in the border town, with the average health appointment costing $131.75.
3. Brisbane
The Queensland capital proved to be the third most expensive place to keep healthy on our index with a score of 7.77 out of 10. As with the rest of the Sunshine State, health insurance premiums were the most expensive in our index, with the average cheapest monthly premium before rebate costing $104.02. The price of an average basket of healthy food in Brisbane was the fifth highest on our list at $2.90 per item, pushing it up the rankings. Despite this, Brisbane enjoys health appointments at the cheaper end of the spectrum, with the average GP consult and specialist appointment costing $96.50.
The cheapest places to be healthy in Australia
1. Bundaberg
If you’re looking for ways to be healthy on a budget, a move to this regional hub in Queensland could be on the cards. Recording the lowest score in our index of 3.69 out of 10, Bundaberg boasts the cheapest price of active leisure of the areas analysed, with the average monthly fitness club membership and tennis court rental (for one hour on the weekend) costing residents $30. The price of eating well was also fairly low, with the average cost of a healthy grocery item costing just $2.45. This comes despite Queensland’s high monthly health insurance premiums pre-rebate, at $104.02.
2. Bunbury
The West Australian town of Bunbury came in at number two for the cheapest places to be healthy, with an index score of 3.87 out of 10. Bunbury recorded the cheapest price of health appointments in our index at $72, and the fourth lowest price of healthy food, at just $2.49 per healthy item.
3. Ballarat
The Victorian regional city of Ballarat rounds out our third cheapest place to be healthy with an index score of 4.2 out of 10. Residents of Ballarat enjoy the second lowest price of active leisure at just $30.36 per activity, and a similarly low cost of healthy food, at just $2.60 per healthy item.
“When household budgets are under pressure, things like gym memberships, regular check‑ups and even healthy food can start to feel like a luxury.
“Our research shows that where you live can have a real impact on how affordable it is to eat well, stay active and access medical care. That’s why it’s important Australians understand their options, whether that’s shopping around for local services, finding lower‑cost ways to stay active, or comparing health insurance.”
Andres Gutierrez
General Manager – Health at iSelect
Written by:
Sarah Grealy
Digital Public Relations Specialist
0413 363 690
Sarah is our Digital Public Relations Specialist, and brings more than a decade of experience in the insurance comparison industry to iSelect.
With a passion for storytelling through data-driven insights, Sarah strives to empower Aussies with practical guides and tips.
About the data
We looked at the top 30 most populous cities/towns in Australia and collected data points that were normalised to a score between 0 and 10. If data was missing, we used available data from the closest geographical area. The greater number collected, the more expensive it is to be healthy in that area.
To find the average cost of a healthy food item we used data from Numbeo to pull the price of a bottle of water (12 oz), apples (1 Ib), a banana, oranges, tomatoes and lettuce for each area. Numbeo was also used to find the average price of an active leisure activity, combining the price of monthly fitness club membership with tennis court rental for one hour on the weekend.
Medical costs were analysed using Medical Costs Finder. Using each area’s central postcode, we took the average of a short GP consult (in rooms), extended GP consults (in rooms), initial specialist appointment and follow-up specialist appointment.
Health insurance costs were collected using the Federal Government’s comparison tool. The average of the three cheapest covers available were taken for each state, fulfilling the following conditions:
– Q: Do you want policies that provide… Limited benefits, e.g. public hospital only or few services covered
– Q: What type of policy do you need? A: Hospital.
– Q: Does everyone who is to be covered on this policy have access to the public healthcare system Medicare? A: Yes – full or interim
– Q: Do you currently have private health insurance? A: No current insurance
– Q: How many people will be covered by this policy? A: Only one
Sources
– Largest Towns and Cities in Australia – https://www.id.com.au/insights/articles/the-top-50-largest-cities-and-towns-in-australia-2025-update
– Cost of Living – https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living
– Australian Postcodes – https://auspost.com.au/postcode
– Medical Costs – https://medicalcostsfinder.health.gov.au
– Private Health Costs – https://privatehealth.gov.au
About 
At iSelect, we’re passionate about making Aussies’ lives easier by saving them time, effort and money. We are Australia’s go-to destination for comparison across insurance, utilities and personal finance products made available from our range of providers. Our service is provided at no cost to the customer.
iSelect does not compare all health insurance providers or policies in the market. The availability of policies will change from time to time. Not all policies available from its providers are compared by iSelect and due to commercial arrangements, your stated needs and circumstances, not all policies compared by iSelect are available to all customers. Some policies and special offers are available only from iSelect’s contact centre or website. Click here to view iSelect’s range of providers