Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forster and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Forster: $2,595 a month against $3,053 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Forster
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Forster Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index

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Forster

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,595

/mo nomad

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,053

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,595 in Forster versus $3,053 in Perth.

Forster $2,595
Perth $3,053

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,737 in Forster versus $4,180 in Perth.

Forster $3,737
Perth $4,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,879 in Forster versus $5,307 in Perth.

Forster $4,879
Perth $5,307

Living in Forster costs roughly 15% less than in Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Forster 92% above, Perth 126% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 A$25.09

$20.83 A$29.73

-15.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.1 A$131

$85.3 A$122

8.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.66 A$15.21

$10.48 A$14.97

1.72%

Cappuccino

$3.90 A$5.57

$4.51 A$6.44

-13.53%

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

$2.82 A$4.03

$2.85 A$4.07

-1.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.18

$2.20 A$3.14

0.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.87 A$9.81

$8.65 A$12.35

-20.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 A$7.78

$8.62 A$12.30

-36.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 A$2.34

$1.77 A$2.52

-7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 A$4.16

$3.21 A$4.58

-9.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.39

$2.00 A$2.85

19.00%

Eggs

$5.62 A$8.03

$5.28 A$7.54

6.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 A$17.14

$9.21 A$13.15

30.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.38 A$13.39

$9.11 A$13.00

2.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.88 A$24.09

$14.83 A$21.17

13.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.57

$4.45 A$6.35

-12.36%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.43

$3.24 A$4.63

-4.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.85

$3.43 A$4.90

-0.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 A$6.03

$4.78 A$6.82

-11.72%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.63

$2.89 A$4.12

12.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.92 A$2.74

29.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.38 A$3.39

$2.14 A$3.06

11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 A$1.73

$1.37 A$1.96

-11.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.92 A$64.1

$41.37 A$59.1

8.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 A$20.06

$12.36 A$17.64

13.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.96 A$5.66

$4.72 A$6.73

-16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.81

$3.34 A$4.76

21.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.04

$2.40 A$3.43

17.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.7 A$121

$98.9 A$141

-14.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 A$4.99

$3.98 A$5.69

-12.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.51 A$2.16

9.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.37 A$57.6

$43.81 A$62.5

-7.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 A$2.15

$1.39 A$1.98

8.63%

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

$30.0K A$42.8K

$30.3K A$43.3K

-1.15%

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

$27.9K A$39.8K

0.08%

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

$252 A$360

$199 A$285

26.55%

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

$27.69 A$39.52

$33.29 A$47.51

-16.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 A$80.7

$62.4 A$89.0

-9.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 A$81.3

$52.8 A$75.4

7.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 A$24.87

$20.62 A$29.43

-15.47%

Cinema Ticket

$17.45 A$24.91

$17.70 A$25.26

-1.41%

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

$2,354 A$3,360

$2,249 A$3,209

4.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K A$39.8K

$32.9K A$46.9K

-15.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.3 A$115

$79.2 A$113

1.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 A$102

$64.4 A$92.0

10.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$162

$122 A$174

-6.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$186

$158 A$226

-17.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$1,985

$2,021 A$2,885

-31.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,217 A$1,737

$1,658 A$2,366

-26.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,287 A$3,264

$2,804 A$4,002

-18.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 A$2,561

$2,174 A$3,102

-17.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,826 A$8,316

$8,368 A$11.9K

-30.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,884 A$6,970

$6,211 A$8,865

-21.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,169 A$5,950

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.9

0.34%

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

Last update for Forster: November 2, 2026

Last update for Perth: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Forster

$1.2K 46.9%

Perth

$1.7K 54.3% 36.2% $441

Groceries & Markets

Forster

$379 14.6%

Perth

$368 12.1% 2.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forster

$337 13%

Perth

$295 9.7% 12.3% $42

Eating Out

Forster

$285 11%

Perth

$333 10.9% 16.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Forster

$178 6.9%

Perth

$191 6.2% 7.2% $13

Getting Around

Forster

$108 4.2%

Perth

$120 3.9% 11.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Forster

$92 3.5%

Perth

$88 2.9% 4% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,391 in Forster and $2,021 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $92 in Forster vs $85 in Perth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $368 per month, with Perth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forster

🇦🇺 Perth

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

3 h behind Forster

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,554

2,043,762

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Forster Perth 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Forster
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

Forster vs Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,595 in Forster and $3,053 in Perth, so Forster is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,893 in Forster and $4,580 in Perth to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,391 in Forster versus $2,021 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,354 in Forster versus $2,249 in Perth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Perth pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,595 in Forster versus $3,053 in Perth, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Forster but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Forster 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, Forster and Perth are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.