Brisbane has beaten out international cities Tokyo, New York and Stockholm to take fifth place in a list of the world's highest CBD parking rates.
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The Colliers International 2008 survey found Brisbane had the fifth highest monthly parking rates in the world at a whopping $609 a month.
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London City and London's West End took out the two top spots, with nearly double Brisbane's monthly charge ($1201 and $1161 respectively).
Sydney came in at third place with $797, edging out Hong Kong, which charges $759 per month.
But the property group's survey found motorists in Brisbane pay more to park in the CBD than their counterparts in midtown New York, who pay $6 less each month.
Perth and Melbourne also featured in the top 20 list.
Colliers market and economic research senior vice president Ross Moore said expensive parking was a downside of the resources boom and a strong economy.
"Australia's booming resource-based economy and surging currency is the primary driver of these high parking costs," Mr Moore said.
Brisbane City Council this year raised prices by up to 40 per cent at its two council-owned facilities at King George Square and on Wickham Terrace.
However, parking in the majority of the CBD's facilities costs much more as they are privately owned and operated.
A spokesman for Lord Mayor Campell Newman said private companies were gouging Brisbane motorists.
"This unfortunately is one of the side effects of not addressing traffic congestion, but to say that people should pay as much as the biggest cities in the world is a bit extreme," the spokesman said.
"I appeal to these operators on behalf of Brisbane motorists to have a heart and reduce car parking prices.
"In the meantime I urge all motorists to take advantage of councils carparks at Wickham Terrace and King George Square, which remain the cheapest in Brisbane CBD."
