Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pakenham and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Pakenham: $2,643 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Pakenham
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Pakenham Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index

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Pakenham

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,643

/mo nomad

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,643 in Pakenham versus $3,080 in Perth.

Pakenham $2,643
Perth $3,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,761 in Pakenham versus $4,194 in Perth.

Pakenham $3,761
Perth $4,194

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,880 in Pakenham versus $5,309 in Perth.

Pakenham $4,880
Perth $5,309

Living in Pakenham costs roughly 14% less than in Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pakenham 94% above, Perth 126% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 A$24.76

$21.45 A$30.63

-19.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 A$119

$85.5 A$122

-2.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.08 A$17.25

$10.92 A$15.59

10.62%

Cappuccino

$4.02 A$5.74

$4.55 A$6.50

-11.65%

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

$3.21 A$4.58

$2.79 A$3.98

15.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 A$3.52

$2.26 A$3.23

9.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.56 A$13.66

$8.31 A$11.87

15.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.47 A$12.10

$8.55 A$12.22

-0.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 A$1.72

$1.68 A$2.40

-27.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 A$4.09

$3.18 A$4.54

-9.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 A$3.72

$2.02 A$2.89

29.21%

Eggs

$5.61 A$8.01

$5.28 A$7.55

6.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.49 A$12.13

$9.51 A$13.58

-10.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.78 A$13.97

$9.21 A$13.15

6.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.29 A$21.83

$13.99 A$19.99

9.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 A$5.69

$4.60 A$6.57

-13.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 A$3.75

$3.15 A$4.50

-16.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.47

$3.52 A$5.03

-11.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 A$6.78

$4.84 A$6.92

-2.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.27

$2.79 A$3.99

7.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.67

$1.88 A$2.69

36.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.47

$2.21 A$3.15

9.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.33

$1.34 A$1.91

21.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.16 A$35.93

$42.80 A$61.1

-41.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 A$18.04

$12.65 A$18.06

-0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.48 A$7.82

$4.35 A$6.22

25.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.39

$3.37 A$4.81

53.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 A$4.39

$2.41 A$3.44

27.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.7 A$105

$99.6 A$142

-25.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.36 A$6.22

$3.59 A$5.12

21.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 A$2.04

$1.46 A$2.08

-2.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.36 A$43.35

$40.46 A$57.8

-24.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 A$2.05

$1.35 A$1.93

5.93%

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

$29.1K A$41.5K

$29.6K A$42.2K

-1.65%

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

$26.4K A$37.8K

$28.1K A$40.2K

-5.97%

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

$236 A$337

$204 A$291

15.88%

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

$28.14 A$40.19

$33.62 A$48.01

-16.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.8 A$82.6

$64.8 A$92.6

-10.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 A$91.9

$54.0 A$77.1

19.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.50 A$27.85

$21.16 A$30.21

-7.84%

Cinema Ticket

$17.55 A$25.06

$17.29 A$24.69

1.50%

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

$2,515 A$3,592

$2,300 A$3,284

9.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K A$43.4K

$23.1K A$33.0K

31.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$115

$77.5 A$111

3.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.90 A$71.3

$63.7 A$91.0

-21.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 A$169

$121 A$173

-2.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$190

$166 A$237

-19.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 A$2,089

$2,006 A$2,864

-27.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 A$1,813

$1,673 A$2,390

-24.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,148 A$3,068

$2,819 A$4,026

-23.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 A$2,649

$2,156 A$3,079

-13.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,533 A$7,902

$8,504 A$12.1K

-34.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,458 A$7,795

$6,037 A$8,622

-9.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,032

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 Pakenham: October 24, 2026

Last update for Perth: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pakenham

$1.3K 48%

Perth

$1.7K 54.3% 31.8% $404

Groceries & Markets

Pakenham

$372 14.1%

Perth

$365 11.9% 1.8% $6.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pakenham

$322 12.2%

Perth

$302 9.8% 6.2% $20

Eating Out

Pakenham

$311 11.8%

Perth

$338 11% 8.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Pakenham

$172 6.5%

Perth

$193 6.3% 12% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Pakenham

$99 3.8%

Perth

$89 2.9% 10.9% $11

Getting Around

Pakenham

$98 3.7%

Perth

$120 3.9% 23.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,463 in Pakenham and $2,006 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Pakenham vs $86 in Perth. Groceries flip the comparison at $372 vs $365, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Pakenham

🇦🇺 Perth

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

3 h behind Pakenham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,118

2,043,762

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Pakenham Perth 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Pakenham
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

Pakenham vs Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pakenham wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Perth. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Pakenham the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,964 in Pakenham and $4,620 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: $1,463 in Pakenham 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 Pakenham runs roughly 26% less than in Perth. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $2,643 per month in Pakenham versus $3,080 in Perth – Pakenham is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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