Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mount Isa and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Mount Isa: $2,629 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Mount Isa
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Mount Isa Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index

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Mount Isa

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,629

/mo nomad

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,629 in Mount Isa versus $3,080 in Perth.

Mount Isa $2,629
Perth $3,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,759 in Mount Isa versus $4,194 in Perth.

Mount Isa $3,759
Perth $4,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,890 in Mount Isa versus $5,309 in Perth.

Mount Isa $4,890
Perth $5,309

Living in Mount Isa costs roughly 15% less than in Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mount Isa 93% above, Perth 126% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.94 A$28.33

$21.45 A$30.48

-7.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 A$127

$85.5 A$122

4.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 A$14.61

$10.92 A$15.51

-5.86%

Cappuccino

$3.96 A$5.62

$4.55 A$6.47

-12.97%

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

$2.91 A$4.14

$2.79 A$3.96

4.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.20

$2.26 A$3.21

-0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 A$11.84

$8.31 A$11.81

0.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.57 A$12.18

$8.55 A$12.15

0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.31

$1.68 A$2.38

-3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 A$3.91

$3.18 A$4.52

-13.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.02 A$2.87

14.85%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.13

$5.28 A$7.51

-4.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 A$12.31

$9.51 A$13.51

-8.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.60 A$15.06

$9.21 A$13.09

15.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 A$19.93

$13.99 A$19.88

0.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 A$5.26

$4.60 A$6.53

-19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.39

$3.15 A$4.48

-1.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.73

$3.52 A$5.00

-5.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 A$7.30

$4.84 A$6.88

6.20%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.86

$2.79 A$3.97

-2.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.55

$1.88 A$2.68

32.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.30

$2.21 A$3.13

4.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.17

$1.34 A$1.90

14.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.25 A$61.5

$42.80 A$60.8

1.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.05 A$18.55

$12.65 A$17.97

3.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.80 A$6.82

$4.35 A$6.19

10.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 A$7.24

$3.37 A$4.78

51.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.09 A$4.39

$2.41 A$3.42

28.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.6 A$134

$99.6 A$142

-5.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 A$4.49

$3.59 A$5.10

-11.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 A$2.32

$1.46 A$2.07

12.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.14 A$62.7

$40.46 A$57.5

9.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.35 A$1.92

1.48%

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

$32.0K A$45.5K

$29.6K A$42.0K

8.37%

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

$23.0K A$32.7K

$28.1K A$40.0K

-18.11%

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

$208 A$296

$204 A$289

2.19%

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

$27.46 A$39.01

$33.62 A$47.77

-18.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.1 A$79.7

$64.8 A$92.1

-13.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 A$84.4

$54.0 A$76.7

10.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.78 A$23.84

$21.16 A$30.06

-20.70%

Cinema Ticket

$11.97 A$17.01

$17.29 A$24.57

-30.77%

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

$1,856 A$2,638

$2,300 A$3,267

-19.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K A$32.3K

$23.1K A$32.8K

-1.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 A$119

$77.5 A$110

8.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.6 A$84.7

$63.7 A$90.6

-6.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$173

$121 A$172

0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$151

$166 A$235

-35.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 A$1,852

$2,006 A$2,850

-35.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,279 A$1,818

$1,673 A$2,378

-23.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,545 A$3,616

$2,819 A$4,006

-9.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 A$2,622

$2,156 A$3,064

-14.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,578 A$7,926

$8,504 A$12.1K

-34.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,767 A$6,773

$6,037 A$8,579

-21.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,462 A$6,340

$4,224 A$6,002

5.64%

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 Mount Isa: 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

Mount Isa

$1.3K 48.7%

Perth

$1.7K 54.3% 30.8% $394

Groceries & Markets

Mount Isa

$371 14.1%

Perth

$365 11.9% 1.6% $6

Eating Out

Mount Isa

$317 12.1%

Perth

$338 11% 6.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mount Isa

$292 11.1%

Perth

$302 9.8% 3.6% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Mount Isa

$167 6.4%

Perth

$193 6.3% 15% $25

Getting Around

Mount Isa

$118 4.5%

Perth

$120 3.9% 1.6% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Mount Isa

$83 3.2%

Perth

$89 2.9% 6.2% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,304 in Mount Isa and $2,006 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mount Isa pays 6% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $89 in Mount Isa vs $86 in Perth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $365 per month, with Perth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mount Isa

🇦🇺 Perth

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

2 h behind Mount Isa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,936

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

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Highest

Between locations

Mount Isa Perth 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mount Isa
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

Mount Isa vs Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mount Isa wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Perth. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mount Isa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Mount Isa, 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: $1,304 in Mount Isa versus $2,006 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,856 in Mount Isa 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 Perth – a meal for two runs $86 versus $89 in Mount Isa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Mount Isa 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, Mount Isa and Perth are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.