Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bowral and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Bowral: $2,454 a month against $3,019 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Bowral
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Bowral Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index

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Bowral

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,454

/mo nomad

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,019

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,454 in Bowral versus $3,019 in Perth.

Bowral $2,454
Perth $3,019

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,617 in Bowral versus $4,128 in Perth.

Bowral $3,617
Perth $4,128

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,779 in Bowral versus $5,236 in Perth.

Bowral $4,779
Perth $5,236

Living in Bowral costs roughly 19% less than in Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bowral 82% above, Perth 124% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.56 A$22.39

$20.10 A$28.92

-22.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 A$129

$83.4 A$120

7.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 A$14.96

$10.54 A$15.17

-1.33%

Cappuccino

$2.85 A$4.09

$4.37 A$6.28

-34.78%

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

$2.05 A$2.96

$2.82 A$4.06

-27.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 A$1.98

$2.25 A$3.23

-39.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 A$11.80

$8.30 A$11.94

-1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.61 A$13.84

$8.38 A$12.05

14.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.27

$1.78 A$2.56

-11.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 A$4.56

$3.16 A$4.54

0.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 A$3.77

$1.97 A$2.84

32.99%

Eggs

$5.17 A$7.44

$5.22 A$7.51

-0.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.93 A$18.61

$9.35 A$13.45

38.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 A$14.30

$9.18 A$13.21

8.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.59 A$22.44

$14.08 A$20.26

10.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 A$5.55

$4.59 A$6.61

-15.90%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.43

$3.24 A$4.67

-4.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 A$4.91

$3.32 A$4.78

3.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 A$7.30

$4.94 A$7.11

2.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.61

$2.92 A$4.20

9.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.95

$1.91 A$2.75

43.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$2.32 A$3.34

5.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.24

$1.36 A$1.96

13.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.32 A$65.2

$41.10 A$59.1

10.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 A$20.01

$12.68 A$18.24

9.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 A$6.58

$4.32 A$6.22

6.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 A$8.17

$3.38 A$4.86

68.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.96 A$4.26

$2.48 A$3.56

19.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.3 A$114

$96.5 A$139

-17.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 A$5.84

$3.51 A$5.05

15.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 A$2.27

$1.38 A$1.98

14.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.58 A$61.3

$41.16 A$59.2

3.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.96

$1.40 A$2.02

-2.86%

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

$27.2K A$39.2K

$26.8K A$38.5K

1.80%

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

$29.6K A$42.6K

$29.9K A$43.0K

-1.00%

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

$181 A$260

$196 A$282

-7.77%

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

$26.33 A$37.88

$33.08 A$47.60

-20.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 A$79.1

$62.1 A$89.3

-11.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$80.8

$58.2 A$83.7

-3.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 A$25.03

$21.48 A$30.91

-19.04%

Cinema Ticket

$15.99 A$23.00

$17.57 A$25.29

-8.99%

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

$2,361 A$3,397

$2,323 A$3,342

1.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K A$29.2K

$22.9K A$32.9K

-11.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.1 A$108

$76.8 A$110

-2.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 A$81.2

$65.8 A$94.7

-14.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$168

$120 A$173

-3.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$191

$162 A$233

-18.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,017

$1,938 A$2,789

-27.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 A$1,683

$1,637 A$2,356

-28.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,170 A$3,123

$2,740 A$3,943

-20.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,827 A$2,629

$2,134 A$3,070

-14.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,914 A$8,510

$8,328 A$12.0K

-28.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,911 A$7,066

$6,152 A$8,852

-20.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,201 A$4,606

$4,288 A$6,171

-25.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.91

0.68%

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

Last update for Bowral: October 10, 2026

Last update for Perth: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bowral

$1.2K 47.7%

Perth

$1.6K 54.2% 40% $467

Groceries & Markets

Bowral

$396 16.1%

Perth

$367 12.1% 7.5% $30

Eating Out

Bowral

$264 10.8%

Perth

$323 10.7% 22.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bowral

$262 10.7%

Perth

$291 9.6% 11.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Bowral

$171 7%

Perth

$191 6.3% 11.6% $20

Getting Around

Bowral

$103 4.2%

Perth

$117 3.9% 13.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bowral

$88 3.6%

Perth

$93 3.1% 5.9% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,402 in Bowral and $1,938 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 34% 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: $90.0 in Bowral vs $83.0 in Perth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $396 vs $367 per month, with Perth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Bowral

🇦🇺 Perth

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

23:15 11:15 PM

3 h behind Bowral

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,764

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

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Between locations

Bowral Perth 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bowral
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

Bowral vs Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bowral and Perth differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($2,454 vs $3,019 including rent). Bowral is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 34% 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: $1,402 in Bowral versus $1,938 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,361 in Bowral versus $2,323 in Perth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Perth pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Bowral 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, Bowral 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 Bowral gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.