Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Perth: $2,216 a month against $2,518 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index

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Perth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,216

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Brisbane

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Perth and in Brisbane actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,216 per month in Perth vs $2,518 in Brisbane, rent included.

Perth $2,216
Brisbane $2,518

A couple spends around $3,240 per month in Perth vs $3,720 in Brisbane, rent included.

Perth $3,240
Brisbane $3,720

A family of three spends $4,263 per month in Perth vs $4,922 in Brisbane, rent included.

Perth $4,263
Brisbane $4,922

Perth is about 12% cheaper than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Perth and Brisbane sit above the global median – Perth by 64%, Brisbane by 86%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.86 £17.90

$17.39 A$25.02

37.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 £59.8

$70.9 A$102

12.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.07 £12.05

$11.09 A$15.95

44.91%

Cappuccino

$4.12 £3.09

$4.43 A$6.38

-7.00%

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

$2.40 £1.80

$2.90 A$4.17

-17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 £1.26

$2.43 A$3.49

-30.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.50 £4.88

$8.42 A$12.12

-22.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 £4.23

$8.31 A$11.96

-32.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.67 A$2.40

-16.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 £1.03

$2.72 A$3.92

-49.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$2.29 A$3.29

-18.78%

Eggs

$2.43 £1.82

$4.82 A$6.94

-49.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 £6.15

$9.06 A$13.03

-9.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 £6.49

$9.18 A$13.21

-5.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.57 £10.18

$14.21 A$20.45

-4.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$4.31 A$6.20

-48.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$3.04 A$4.38

-46.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 £1.95

$3.00 A$4.32

-13.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.23 £2.42

$4.75 A$6.84

-32.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 £1.12

$2.72 A$3.92

-44.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 £1.28

$2.34 A$3.37

-26.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 £0.79

$2.42 A$3.48

-56.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 £1.16

$1.19 A$1.71

29.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.81 £15.61

$38.67 A$55.7

-46.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.27 £8.45

$12.66 A$18.21

-10.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.00 £2.25

$5.40 A$7.77

-44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 £2.15

$5.13 A$7.38

-44.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.61 £2.71

$0.37 A$0.53

875.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.8 £73.4

$20.72 A$29.81

372.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.21 £3.91

$2.92 A$4.20

78.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 £1.98

$1.86 A$2.68

41.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.06 £18.05

$41.05 A$59.1

-41.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.40 A$2.01

37.14%

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

$35.2K £26.4K

$29.7K A$42.8K

18.40%

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

$40.7K £30.6K

$26.0K A$37.4K

56.92%

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

$614 £460

$159 A$229

285.65%

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

$13.28 £9.96

$26.52 A$38.16

-49.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.40 £27.31

$60.6 A$87.2

-39.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.47 £34.86

$60.9 A$87.6

-23.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.22 A$31.97

Cinema Ticket

$14.41 £10.81

$14.14 A$20.34

1.91%

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

$1,234 £926

$1,952 A$2,808

-36.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £18.9K

$12.7K A$18.3K

98.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 £68.6

$83.3 A$120

9.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.09 £33.82

$43.69 A$62.9

3.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.8 £50.1

$113 A$163

-41.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 £107

$111 A$160

28.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 £518

$1,939 A$2,790

-64.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 £426

$1,322 A$1,902

-57.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 £906

$3,408 A$4,904

-64.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 £819

$2,242 A$3,226

-51.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,077 £3,809

$8,271 A$11.9K

-38.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,805 £2,854

$5,920 A$8,518

-35.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,454 £1,841

$4,183 A$6,020

-41.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

5.81

-12.74%

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

Last update for Perth: October 18, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$663 29.9%

Brisbane

$246 9.8% 62.9% $417

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$568 25.6%

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5% 133% $754

Eating Out

Perth

$349 15.7%

Brisbane

$306 12.1% 12.3% $43

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$275 12.4%

Brisbane

$363 14.4% 32.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$156 7%

Brisbane

$158 6.3% 1.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Perth

$131 5.9%

Brisbane

$34 1.4% 73.7% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$75 3.4%

Brisbane

$89 3.5% 18.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $691 in Perth versus $1,939 in Brisbane. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 70% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Perth versus $71.0 in Brisbane. Groceries tell a different story – $275 in Perth vs $363 in Brisbane – so Perth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Perth

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

9 h ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

46,660

2,287,896

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Perth Brisbane 16,300 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth
Brisbane

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

Perth vs Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 14% more than Perth, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,324 per month in Perth and $3,777 in Brisbane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Perth, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80.0 in Perth and $71.0 in Brisbane. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Perth, where all-in costs run around $2,216, than in Brisbane at $2,518. In Perth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Perth – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Perth. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.