Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $3,040 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
Learn more

Perth Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX and in Perth actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $3,040 in Perth.

Austin, TX $2,704
Perth $3,040

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $4,133 in Perth.

Austin, TX $4,133
Perth $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $5,226 in Perth.

Austin, TX $5,562
Perth $5,226

Living in Austin, TX costs roughly 11% less than in Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Austin, TX 102% above, Perth 127% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$20.12 A$28.90

0.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$84.9 A$122

0.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.48 A$15.05

17.84%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$4.47 A$6.43

22.37%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$2.85 A$4.09

34.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$2.19 A$3.15

14.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$8.20 A$11.78

-1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$8.19 A$11.77

9.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.77 A$2.55

-36.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$3.19 A$4.58

18.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.97 A$2.82

64.97%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$5.22 A$7.49

-20.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$9.03 A$12.97

44.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$9.11 A$13.08

57.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$13.83 A$19.86

15.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$4.65 A$6.68

-5.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$3.13 A$4.49

-53.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$3.41 A$4.90

33.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$4.96 A$7.12

-15.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$2.83 A$4.06

-7.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.94 A$2.79

21.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$2.26 A$3.24

-22.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.35 A$1.94

60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$42.49 A$61.0

-76.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$12.67 A$18.19

16.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$4.28 A$6.14

-35.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$3.41 A$4.91

2.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.45 A$3.52

-39.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$98.3 A$141

-58.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.54 A$5.09

-24.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.46 A$2.10

8.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$40.76 A$58.5

-13.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.35 A$1.94

-26.67%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$27.3K A$39.2K

31.17%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$29.5K A$42.4K

-7.91%

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

$219 $219

$198 A$284

10.98%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$33.36 A$47.92

73.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$63.0 A$90.4

8.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$57.3 A$82.3

1.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$21.56 A$30.97

-31.26%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$17.16 A$24.64

-17.66%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$2,277 A$3,271

-33.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$22.7K A$32.6K

-5.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$76.7 A$110

-32.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$64.2 A$92.2

-31.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$122 A$176

-30.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$165 A$237

-36.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$1,941 A$2,788

-0.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$1,645 A$2,363

-22.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$2,736 A$3,930

34.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$2,156 A$3,097

17.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$8,449 A$12.1K

-9.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$6,054 A$8,696

-47.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$4,280 A$6,147

19.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

5.89

15.28%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Perth: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Perth

$1.6K 54.3% 29.3% $373

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Perth

$364 12% 9.6% $39

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Perth

$324 10.7% 7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Perth

$294 9.7% 15% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Perth

$193 6.4% 49.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Perth

$92 3% 6.3% $5.4

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Perth

$119 3.9% 109% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $1,941 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $85.0 in Perth. Groceries flip the comparison at $403 vs $364, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇺 Perth

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

12:54 12:54 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,043,762

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

AUD to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Perth 16,820 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Perth. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $1,941 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $3,040 in Perth – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 143% less than in Perth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX 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, Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.