Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Melbourne and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Melbourne: $2,853 a month against $3,027 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Perth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
Learn more

Perth Living Index

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Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,853 in Melbourne versus $3,027 in Perth.

Melbourne $2,853
Perth $3,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,275 in Melbourne versus $4,162 in Perth.

Melbourne $4,275
Perth $4,162

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,697 in Melbourne versus $5,297 in Perth.

Melbourne $5,697
Perth $5,297

Living in Melbourne costs roughly 6% less than in Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Melbourne 111% above, Perth 123% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.20 A$24.75

$21.22 A$30.54

-18.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$120

$84.5 A$122

-1.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.43 A$17.88

$11.01 A$15.84

12.90%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.82

$4.43 A$6.38

-8.58%

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

$3.12 A$4.50

$2.88 A$4.15

8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 A$3.54

$2.25 A$3.24

9.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.52 A$13.71

$8.44 A$12.14

12.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.74

$8.22 A$11.83

-0.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.74 A$2.51

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.18

$3.12 A$4.49

-7.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.82

$2.06 A$2.96

29.13%

Eggs

$5.37 A$7.72

$5.21 A$7.50

3.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.67 A$15.36

$9.02 A$12.98

18.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 A$14.17

$9.33 A$13.43

5.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 A$22.11

$13.80 A$19.85

11.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$6.00

$4.59 A$6.60

-9.15%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$3.23 A$4.65

-2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 A$4.69

$3.40 A$4.89

-4.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 A$6.85

$4.89 A$7.03

-2.66%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.41

$2.86 A$4.12

6.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.55

$1.89 A$2.72

30.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 A$3.52

$2.19 A$3.15

11.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.39 A$2.00

17.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.17 A$65.0

$42.45 A$61.1

6.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.25

$12.73 A$18.31

-0.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.69 A$8.18

$4.56 A$6.56

24.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 A$7.53

$3.32 A$4.78

57.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.87 A$5.57

$2.40 A$3.45

61.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 A$204

$98.4 A$142

44.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.54 A$6.53

$3.53 A$5.07

28.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.04

$1.46 A$2.09

-2.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.59 A$44.01

$40.43 A$58.2

-24.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.36 A$1.95

8.09%

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

$28.9K A$41.5K

$29.6K A$42.6K

-2.52%

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

$25.9K A$37.3K

$27.7K A$39.9K

-6.51%

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

$235 A$338

$205 A$295

14.51%

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

$27.45 A$39.51

$32.82 A$47.23

-16.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$80.8

$64.0 A$92.1

-12.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.1 A$72.1

$55.2 A$79.4

-9.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.49 A$30.93

$20.94 A$30.13

2.63%

Cinema Ticket

$17.76 A$25.56

$17.27 A$24.85

2.84%

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

$2,385 A$3,432

$2,320 A$3,339

2.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K A$42.7K

$22.9K A$32.9K

29.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$114

$76.4 A$110

3.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.49 A$71.2

$63.1 A$90.8

-21.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$170

$122 A$176

-2.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$190

$163 A$235

-18.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,763 A$2,537

$1,936 A$2,786

-8.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 A$2,031

$1,624 A$2,337

-13.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,522 A$5,069

$2,820 A$4,058

24.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 A$3,634

$2,161 A$3,110

16.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,136 A$10.3K

$8,369 A$12.0K

-14.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,355 A$9,144

$6,001 A$8,635

5.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,258 A$6,128

$4,209 A$6,056

1.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.96

-1.01%

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

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Last update for Perth: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5%

Perth

$1.6K 53.7% 15.1% $213

Groceries & Markets

Melbourne

$388 13.6%

Perth

$366 12.1% 5.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Melbourne

$319 11.2%

Perth

$302 10% 5.2% $17

Eating Out

Melbourne

$310 10.9%

Perth

$335 11.1% 8.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Melbourne

$171 6%

Perth

$191 6.3% 12% $20

Getting Around

Melbourne

$169 5.9%

Perth

$119 3.9% 29.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Melbourne

$86 3%

Perth

$90 3% 4.8% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,763 in Melbourne and $1,936 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $83.0 in Melbourne vs $85.0 in Perth. Groceries flip the comparison at $388 vs $366, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🇦🇺 Perth

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

09:40 9:40 AM

3 h behind Melbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,031,195

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

Melbourne Perth 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Melbourne
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

Melbourne vs Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Melbourne and Perth differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($2,853 vs $3,027 including rent). Melbourne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1% higher in Melbourne, 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: $1,763 in Melbourne versus $1,936 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,385 in Melbourne versus $2,320 in Perth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Perth pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Melbourne 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, Melbourne 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 Melbourne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.