Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gold Coast and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Gold Coast: $2,922 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
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Gold Coast Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index

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Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,922

/mo nomad

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,922 in Gold Coast versus $3,080 in Perth.

Gold Coast $2,922
Perth $3,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,497 in Gold Coast versus $4,194 in Perth.

Gold Coast $4,497
Perth $4,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,073 in Gold Coast versus $5,309 in Perth.

Gold Coast $6,073
Perth $5,309

Living in Gold Coast costs roughly 5% less than in Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gold Coast 115% above, Perth 126% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 A$29.57

$21.45 A$30.48

-2.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 A$149

$85.5 A$122

22.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 A$15.08

$10.92 A$15.51

-2.75%

Cappuccino

$3.76 A$5.34

$4.55 A$6.47

-17.36%

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

$2.83 A$4.01

$2.79 A$3.96

1.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.50

$2.26 A$3.21

8.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 A$11.04

$8.31 A$11.81

-6.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.51 A$10.68

$8.55 A$12.15

-12.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.22

$1.68 A$2.38

-6.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.76

$3.18 A$4.52

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 A$3.35

$2.02 A$2.87

16.83%

Eggs

$4.90 A$6.97

$5.28 A$7.51

-7.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 A$12.92

$9.51 A$13.51

-4.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 A$13.50

$9.21 A$13.09

3.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.71 A$20.90

$13.99 A$19.88

5.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 A$5.61

$4.60 A$6.53

-14.13%

Banana (1kg)

$3.19 A$4.53

$3.15 A$4.48

1.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.93

$3.52 A$5.00

-1.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 A$5.91

$4.84 A$6.88

-14.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 A$3.67

$2.79 A$3.97

-7.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.52

$1.88 A$2.68

31.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.47

$2.21 A$3.13

10.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 A$3.29

$1.34 A$1.90

73.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.55 A$64.7

$42.80 A$60.8

6.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.19 A$20.16

$12.65 A$17.97

12.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.73 A$8.14

$4.35 A$6.19

31.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 A$9.56

$3.37 A$4.78

99.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 A$3.88

$2.41 A$3.42

13.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 A$79.6

$99.6 A$142

-43.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 A$3.15

$3.59 A$5.10

-38.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.34

$1.46 A$2.07

13.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.90 A$52.4

$40.46 A$57.5

-8.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.96

$1.35 A$1.92

2.22%

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

$29.2K A$41.5K

$29.6K A$42.0K

-1.25%

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

$26.6K A$37.8K

$28.1K A$40.0K

-5.34%

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

$218 A$310

$204 A$289

7.15%

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

$31.16 A$44.28

$33.62 A$47.77

-7.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 A$77.3

$64.8 A$92.1

-16.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 A$86.2

$54.0 A$76.7

12.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.58 A$24.98

$21.16 A$30.06

-16.92%

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 A$19.18

$17.29 A$24.57

-21.92%

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

$2,134 A$3,032

$2,300 A$3,267

-7.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K A$17.2K

$23.1K A$32.8K

-47.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.3 A$108

$77.5 A$110

-1.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 A$76.1

$63.7 A$90.6

-15.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$150

$121 A$172

-12.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$166 A$235

-25.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 A$3,258

$2,006 A$2,850

14.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,588 A$2,256

$1,673 A$2,378

-5.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,278 A$4,658

$2,819 A$4,006

16.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,998 A$4,260

$2,156 A$3,064

39.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.8K A$15.4K

$8,504 A$12.1K

27.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,117 A$10.1K

$6,037 A$8,579

17.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$4,224 A$6,002

-2.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

5.96

-4.53%

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

Last update for Gold Coast: October 26, 2026

Last update for Perth: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gold Coast

$1.6K 54.4%

Perth

$1.7K 54.3% 5.4% $85

Groceries & Markets

Gold Coast

$384 13.2%

Perth

$365 11.9% 5% $19

Eating Out

Gold Coast

$318 10.9%

Perth

$338 11% 6.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gold Coast

$304 10.4%

Perth

$302 9.8% 0.6% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Gold Coast

$162 5.5%

Perth

$193 6.3% 19% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Gold Coast

$88 3%

Perth

$89 2.9% 1% $0.9

Getting Around

Gold Coast

$77 2.7%

Perth

$120 3.9% 55.2% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,293 in Gold Coast and $2,006 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 3% 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: $105 in Gold Coast vs $86 in Perth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $365 per month, with Perth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Perth

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

2 h behind Gold Coast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,665

2,043,762

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gold Coast Perth 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Gold Coast
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

Gold Coast vs Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gold Coast and Perth differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($2,922 vs $3,080 including rent). Gold Coast is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 3% lower in Gold Coast. 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: $2,293 in Gold Coast versus $2,006 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gold Coast runs roughly 44% less than in Perth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,134 in Gold Coast versus $2,300 in Perth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Safety-wise, Gold Coast 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.

It comes down to priorities – Gold Coast wins on affordability, Perth on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.