Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adelaide and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Adelaide: $2,640 a month against $3,027 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index

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Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Adelaide and in Perth

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Adelaide and in Perth actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,640 in Adelaide versus $3,027 in Perth.

Adelaide $2,640
Perth $3,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Adelaide versus $4,162 in Perth.

Adelaide $3,759
Perth $4,162

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,878 in Adelaide versus $5,297 in Perth.

Adelaide $4,878
Perth $5,297

Living in Adelaide costs roughly 13% less than in Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Adelaide 95% above, Perth 123% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 A$24.61

$21.22 A$30.54

-19.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 A$116

$84.5 A$122

-4.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.64 A$16.75

$11.01 A$15.84

5.72%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.83

$4.43 A$6.38

-8.58%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 A$4.00

$2.88 A$4.15

-3.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 A$3.68

$2.25 A$3.24

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.20

$8.44 A$12.14

-7.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.26 A$11.89

$8.22 A$11.83

0.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.74 A$2.51

13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$3.12 A$4.49

-10.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.23

$2.06 A$2.96

8.74%

Eggs

$5.69 A$8.19

$5.21 A$7.50

9.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 A$16.94

$9.02 A$12.98

30.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 A$13.24

$9.33 A$13.43

-1.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 A$27.29

$13.80 A$19.85

37.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.67

$4.59 A$6.60

-14.16%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$3.23 A$4.65

-6.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 A$5.22

$3.40 A$4.89

6.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.06 A$7.28

$4.89 A$7.03

3.48%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.60

$2.86 A$4.12

11.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.56

$1.89 A$2.72

30.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 A$3.58

$2.19 A$3.15

13.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.39 A$2.00

66.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.26 A$65.1

$42.45 A$61.1

6.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.93 A$20.05

$12.73 A$18.31

9.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.52 A$7.94

$4.56 A$6.56

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.91 A$8.51

$3.32 A$4.78

78.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 A$4.61

$2.40 A$3.45

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.6 A$120

$98.4 A$142

-15.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.46 A$2.09

35.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.11 A$44.77

$40.43 A$58.2

-23.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 A$2.03

$1.36 A$1.95

3.68%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.3K A$42.2K

$29.6K A$42.6K

-0.95%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.7K A$36.9K

$27.7K A$39.9K

-7.38%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$192 A$276

$205 A$295

-6.52%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$25.71 A$36.99

$32.82 A$47.23

-21.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 A$81.6

$64.0 A$92.1

-11.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 A$90.6

$55.2 A$79.4

14.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.06 A$20.24

$20.94 A$30.13

-32.86%

Cinema Ticket

$17.14 A$24.67

$17.27 A$24.85

-0.75%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,072 A$2,982

$2,320 A$3,339

-10.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K A$20.5K

$22.9K A$32.9K

-37.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$101

$76.4 A$110

-8.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.9

$63.1 A$90.8

-13.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 A$165

$122 A$176

-6.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$195

$163 A$235

-17.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,466

$1,936 A$2,786

-11.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,839

$1,624 A$2,337

-21.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,431 A$3,498

$2,820 A$4,058

-13.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,637

$2,161 A$3,110

-15.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K A$14.5K

$8,369 A$12.0K

20.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,880 A$9,901

$6,001 A$8,635

14.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,830 A$5,511

$4,209 A$6,056

-9.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.96

-0.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Adelaide: October 19, 2026

Last update for Perth: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4%

Perth

$1.6K 53.7% 27.1% $346

Groceries & Markets

Adelaide

$415 15.7%

Perth

$366 12.1% 11.8% $49

Eating Out

Adelaide

$297 11.3%

Perth

$335 11.1% 12.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adelaide

$274 10.4%

Perth

$302 10% 10.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Adelaide

$169 6.4%

Perth

$191 6.3% 13.3% $22

Getting Around

Adelaide

$110 4.2%

Perth

$119 3.9% 8.2% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Adelaide

$97 3.7%

Perth

$90 3% 7.7% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,713 in Adelaide and $1,936 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Adelaide vs $85.0 in Perth. Groceries flip the comparison at $415 vs $366, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🇦🇺 Perth

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

05:06 5:06 AM

2 h 30 min behind Adelaide

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,245,011

2,043,762

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Adelaide Perth 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Adelaide
Perth

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Adelaide vs Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Adelaide and Perth differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($2,640 vs $3,027 including rent). Adelaide is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Perth. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,713 in Adelaide versus $1,936 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,072 in Adelaide versus $2,320 in Perth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Perth pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Adelaide is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Adelaide and Perth are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Adelaide gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.