Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Perth: $2,216 a month against $2,518 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Perth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,518 per month in Brisbane vs $2,216 in Perth, rent included.

Brisbane $2,518
Perth $2,216

A couple spends around $3,720 per month in Brisbane vs $3,240 in Perth, rent included.

Brisbane $3,720
Perth $3,240

A family of three spends $4,922 per month in Brisbane vs $4,263 in Perth, rent included.

Brisbane $4,922
Perth $4,263

Brisbane costs about 14% more than Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Brisbane and Perth sit above the global median – Brisbane by 86%, Perth by 64%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$25.02

$23.86 £17.90

-27.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 A$102

$79.7 £59.8

-11.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.95

$16.07 £12.05

-30.99%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$4.12 £3.09

7.52%

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

$2.90 A$4.17

$2.40 £1.80

20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$1.69 £1.26

43.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 A$12.12

$6.50 £4.88

29.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 A$11.96

$5.64 £4.23

47.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 A$2.40

$1.40 £1.05

19.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.92

$1.37 £1.03

98.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.29

$1.86 £1.40

23.12%

Eggs

$4.82 A$6.94

$2.43 £1.82

98.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$8.20 £6.15

10.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.21

$8.65 £6.49

6.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 A$20.45

$13.57 £10.18

4.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.20

$2.20 £1.65

95.91%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.62 £1.21

87.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$2.61 £1.95

14.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 A$6.84

$3.23 £2.42

47.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.92

$1.50 £1.12

81.33%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.37

$1.71 £1.28

36.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.06 £0.79

128.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.71

$1.54 £1.16

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.67 A$55.7

$20.81 £15.61

85.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$11.27 £8.45

12.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.40 A$7.77

$3.00 £2.25

80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.38

$2.87 £2.15

78.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 A$0.53

$3.61 £2.71

-89.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.72 A$29.81

$97.8 £73.4

-78.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 A$4.20

$5.21 £3.91

-43.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 A$2.68

$2.64 £1.98

-29.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.05 A$59.1

$24.06 £18.05

70.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.92 £1.44

-27.08%

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

$29.7K A$42.8K

$35.2K £26.4K

-15.54%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$40.7K £30.6K

-36.27%

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

$159 A$229

$614 £460

-74.07%

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

$26.52 A$38.16

$13.28 £9.96

99.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 A$87.2

$36.40 £27.31

66.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 A$87.6

$46.47 £34.86

30.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.22 A$31.97

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 A$20.34

$14.41 £10.81

-1.87%

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

$1,952 A$2,808

$1,234 £926

58.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.3K

$25.2K £18.9K

-49.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 A$120

$91.5 £68.6

-8.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.69 A$62.9

$45.09 £33.82

-3.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$163

$66.8 £50.1

69.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$160

$142 £107

-22.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 A$2,790

$691 £518

180.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 A$1,902

$568 £426

132.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,408 A$4,904

$1,207 £906

182.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 A$3,226

$1,092 £819

105.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,271 A$11.9K

$5,077 £3,809

62.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,920 A$8,518

$3,805 £2,854

55.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,183 A$6,020

$2,454 £1,841

70.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.07

14.60%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Last update for Perth: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5%

Perth

$568 25.6% 57% $754

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$363 14.4%

Perth

$275 12.4% 24.3% $88

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12.1%

Perth

$349 15.7% 14.1% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$246 9.8%

Perth

$663 29.9% 169% $417

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6.3%

Perth

$156 7% 1.5% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.5%

Perth

$75 3.4% 15.5% $14

Getting Around

Brisbane

$34 1.4%

Perth

$131 5.9% 280% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,939 in Brisbane versus $691 in Perth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 70% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Brisbane versus $80.0 in Perth. Groceries tell a different story – $363 in Brisbane vs $275 in Perth – so Perth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇬🇧 Perth

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

05:28 5:28 AM

9 h behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

46,660

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brisbane Perth 16,300 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
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

Brisbane vs Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 14% more than Perth, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,777 per month in Brisbane and $3,324 in Perth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perth, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Brisbane and $80.0 in Perth. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Perth, where all-in costs run around $2,216, than in Brisbane at $2,518. In Perth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perth – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Perth. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.