Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Byron Bay and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Byron Bay: $2,417 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Byron Bay
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Byron Bay Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index

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Byron Bay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,417

/mo nomad

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,417 in Byron Bay versus $3,080 in Perth.

Byron Bay $2,417
Perth $3,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,485 in Byron Bay versus $4,194 in Perth.

Byron Bay $3,485
Perth $4,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,552 in Byron Bay versus $5,309 in Perth.

Byron Bay $4,552
Perth $5,309

Living in Byron Bay costs roughly 22% less than in Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Byron Bay 78% above, Perth 126% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 A$24.60

$21.45 A$30.50

-19.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.6 A$116

$85.5 A$122

-4.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 A$15.93

$10.92 A$15.52

2.66%

Cappuccino

$3.63 A$5.17

$4.55 A$6.47

-20.22%

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

$1.42 A$2.02

$2.79 A$3.96

-49.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.50

$2.26 A$3.22

8.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 A$11.77

$8.31 A$11.82

-0.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.49 A$12.07

$8.55 A$12.16

-0.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 A$2.34

$1.68 A$2.39

-1.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 A$3.88

$3.18 A$4.52

-14.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 A$3.32

$2.02 A$2.88

15.35%

Eggs

$4.78 A$6.80

$5.28 A$7.51

-9.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$12.88

$9.51 A$13.52

-4.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.18

$9.21 A$13.09

0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.45 A$20.54

$13.99 A$19.90

3.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 A$6.06

$4.60 A$6.54

-7.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.28

$3.15 A$4.48

-4.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.35

$3.52 A$5.01

-13.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.76

$4.84 A$6.89

-1.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.05

$2.79 A$3.97

1.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 A$3.34

$1.88 A$2.68

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.38

$2.21 A$3.14

7.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 A$1.79

$1.34 A$1.90

-5.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$33.79 A$48.04

$42.80 A$60.9

-21.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.99

$12.65 A$17.98

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.42 A$7.70

$4.35 A$6.19

24.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 A$6.96

$3.37 A$4.79

45.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 A$3.89

$2.41 A$3.42

13.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.3 A$117

$99.6 A$142

-17.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 A$4.23

$3.59 A$5.10

-16.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 A$2.69

$1.46 A$2.07

29.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.61 A$59.2

$40.46 A$57.5

2.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 A$2.01

$1.35 A$1.92

4.44%

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

$29.7K A$42.2K

$29.6K A$42.0K

0.42%

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

$24.9K A$35.5K

$28.1K A$40.0K

-11.30%

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

$160 A$227

$204 A$289

-21.64%

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

$14.29 A$20.31

$33.62 A$47.81

-57.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.53 A$60.5

$64.8 A$92.2

-34.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 A$80.0

$54.0 A$76.8

4.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.44 A$24.80

$21.16 A$30.08

-17.58%

Cinema Ticket

$13.79 A$19.60

$17.29 A$24.59

-20.24%

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

$2,024 A$2,878

$2,300 A$3,270

-11.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.0K

$23.1K A$32.8K

-45.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 A$100

$77.5 A$110

-9.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.97 A$29.81

$63.7 A$90.6

-67.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 A$101

$121 A$172

-41.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 A$159

$166 A$236

-32.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,392 A$1,980

$2,006 A$2,852

-30.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,234 A$1,754

$1,673 A$2,379

-26.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,283 A$3,246

$2,819 A$4,008

-19.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,833 A$2,606

$2,156 A$3,066

-15.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,798 A$8,245

$8,504 A$12.1K

-31.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,944 A$7,029

$6,037 A$8,585

-18.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,883 A$6,943

$4,224 A$6,006

15.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

-16.11%

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

Last update for Byron Bay: October 25, 2026

Last update for Perth: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Byron Bay

$1.2K 51.1%

Perth

$1.7K 54.3% 35.6% $440

Groceries & Markets

Byron Bay

$364 15.1%

Perth

$365 11.9% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Byron Bay

$290 12%

Perth

$338 11% 16.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Byron Bay

$216 9%

Perth

$302 9.8% 39.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Byron Bay

$123 5.1%

Perth

$193 6.3% 56.2% $69

Getting Around

Byron Bay

$106 4.4%

Perth

$120 3.9% 13.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Byron Bay

$84 3.5%

Perth

$89 2.9% 5.6% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,392 in Byron Bay and $2,006 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Byron Bay pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $82 in Byron Bay vs $86 in Perth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $365 per month, with Byron Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Byron Bay

🇦🇺 Perth

🕒 Local time

01:11 1:11 AM

22:11 10:11 PM

3 h behind Byron Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,538

2,043,762

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Byron Bay Perth 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Byron Bay
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

Byron Bay vs Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Byron Bay and Perth differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($2,417 vs $3,080 including rent). Byron Bay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Byron Bay, 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: $1,392 in Byron Bay versus $2,006 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,024 in Byron Bay versus $2,300 in Perth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Byron Bay – a meal for two runs $82 versus $86 in Perth. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,417 in Byron Bay versus $3,080 in Perth, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Byron Bay but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Byron Bay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Byron Bay 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.