Brisbane is 3°C (5.4°F) warmer by day, Brisbane has 6.6°C (11.9°F) warmer nights, Brisbane gets 427 mm (16.8 in) more rain a year.
Brisbane is at its warmest in January and coolest in July, while Melbourne peaks in January and bottoms out in July. Month for month, Brisbane is the warmer of the two in 12 of 12 months.
Brisbane is the wetter of the two, collecting 1,179 mm (46.4 in) of rain a year against 752 mm (29.6 in) in Melbourne. The most comfortable time to visit is April, September and October in Brisbane and March, November and December in Melbourne.
| Brisbane | Metric | Melbourne |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 29.1°C | 🌡️Average daytime high | 26.1°C |
| 13.8°C | 🌙Average nighttime low | 7.2°C |
| January | 🔥Hottest month | January |
| July | ❄️Coldest month | July |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 1,179 mm | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 752 mm |
| February | ☔Wettest month | October |
| September | 🏜️Driest month | February |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 72% | 💧Average humidity | 75% |
| 3.5 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 3.3 m/s |
Overnight, Brisbane typically falls to around 13.8°C (56.8°F) while Melbourne settles near 7.2°C (45°F).
Brisbane is hottest in January and coldest in July, whereas Melbourne peaks in January and is coolest in July.
Brisbane sees the most rain in February and the least in September; Melbourne is wettest in October and driest in February.
Melbourne feels the more humid of the two, averaging 75% relative humidity against 72%.
For Melbourne, the pick of the year is March, November and December.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Brisbane | Melbourne | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 20 | 26.8🔥 | 33.6 | 11.2 | 23.8🔥 | 36.5 |
| February | 20 | 26.3 | 32.5 | 11.5 | 23.4 | 35.3 |
| March | 18.1 | 24.7 | 31.3 | 10.6 | 21.5 | 32.5 |
| April | 14.8 | 21.6 | 28.4 | 8.3 | 17.6 | 27 |
| May | 11 | 18.4 | 25.8 | 5.9 | 13.7 | 21.6 |
| June | 8 | 15.7 | 23.3 | 3.8 | 10.3 | 16.9 |
| July | 7.6 | 15.4❄️ | 23.1 | 3 | 9.3❄️ | 15.6 |
| August | 8.3 | 16.7 | 25 | 3.6 | 10.5 | 17.4 |
| September | 10.7 | 19.6 | 28.5 | 4.6 | 12.8 | 21 |
| October | 13.5 | 22.4 | 31.3 | 6 | 15.9 | 25.7 |
| November | 15.8 | 24.1 | 32.4 | 7.7 | 19 | 30.3 |
| December | 17.9 | 25.8 | 33.6 | 9.6 | 21.6 | 33.6 |
| Annual Avg | 13.8 | 21.5 | 29.1 | 7.2 | 16.6 | 26.1 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°C). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Brisbane and Melbourne feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Brisbane Melbourne
See how Brisbane and Melbourne stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Brisbane and Melbourne — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Brisbane is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 29.1°C (84.4°F) against 26.1°C (79°F) in Melbourne — roughly 3°C (5.4°F) warmer by day. Nights are milder in Brisbane, with average lows of 13.8°C (56.8°F) versus 7.2°C (45°F).
Brisbane is hottest in January, averaging highs of about 33.6°C (92.5°F), while Melbourne peaks in January at around 36.5°C (97.6°F). That makes Melbourne the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Melbourne gets colder. In its coldest month (July) overnight lows average about 3°C (37.3°F), compared with 7.6°C (45.7°F) at the low point of the year in Brisbane.
Brisbane is the wetter city, collecting about 1,179 mm (46.4 in) of rain a year versus 752 mm (29.6 in) in Melbourne. Brisbane is wettest in February and driest in September; Melbourne is wettest in October and driest in February.
Melbourne is the more humid of the two, averaging 75% relative humidity over the year against 72% in Brisbane.
The most comfortable months in Brisbane are April, September and October, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Melbourne is at its most pleasant around March, November and December, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Brisbane is the warmer city in all 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in September, about 6.8°C (12.2°F), and narrowest in February, about 2.9°C (5.2°F).
Melbourne has the bigger seasonal swing, about 14.5°C (26.1°F) between its coldest and hottest months versus 11.4°C (20.5°F) in Brisbane — so Brisbane has the steadier, more even climate.
It depends what matters most to you: choose Brisbane for warmer weather and pick Melbourne if you prefer drier conditions. There is no single "better" climate — it comes down to whether you value warmth, dryness or comfort most.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Brisbane and Melbourne, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
