Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Adelaide

For one person, living is cheaper in Adelaide: $2,640 a month against $3,027 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Adelaide
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Adelaide Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,027

/mo nomad

Adelaide

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Adelaide

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 Adelaide actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,027 in Perth versus $2,640 in Adelaide.

Perth $3,027
Adelaide $2,640

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,162 in Perth versus $3,759 in Adelaide.

Perth $4,162
Adelaide $3,759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,297 in Perth versus $4,878 in Adelaide.

Perth $5,297
Adelaide $4,878

Living in Perth is roughly 15% more expensive than in Adelaide, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 123% above, Adelaide 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 A$30.54

$17.10 A$24.61

24.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$80.5 A$116

4.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 A$15.84

$11.64 A$16.75

-5.41%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$4.05 A$5.83

9.38%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$2.78 A$4.00

3.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$2.55 A$3.68

-11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 A$12.14

$7.79 A$11.20

8.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 A$11.83

$8.26 A$11.89

-0.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.51

$1.98 A$2.85

-12.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 A$4.49

$2.78 A$4.00

12.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.96

$2.24 A$3.23

-8.04%

Eggs

$5.21 A$7.50

$5.69 A$8.19

-8.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.98

$11.77 A$16.94

-23.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 A$13.43

$9.20 A$13.24

1.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 A$19.85

$18.97 A$27.29

-27.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.60

$3.94 A$5.67

16.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.65

$3.03 A$4.36

6.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.89

$3.63 A$5.22

-6.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$7.03

$5.06 A$7.28

-3.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.12

$3.20 A$4.60

-10.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 A$2.72

$2.47 A$3.56

-23.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 A$3.15

$2.49 A$3.58

-12.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$2.00

$2.31 A$3.33

-39.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.45 A$61.1

$45.26 A$65.1

-6.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 A$18.31

$13.93 A$20.05

-8.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.56 A$6.56

$5.52 A$7.94

-17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 A$4.78

$5.91 A$8.51

-43.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 A$3.45

$3.20 A$4.61

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 A$142

$83.6 A$120

17.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.98 A$2.85

-26.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 A$58.2

$31.11 A$44.77

29.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.41 A$2.03

-3.55%

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

$29.6K A$42.6K

$29.3K A$42.2K

0.96%

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

$27.7K A$39.9K

$25.7K A$36.9K

7.96%

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

$205 A$295

$192 A$276

6.98%

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

$32.82 A$47.23

$25.71 A$36.99

27.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 A$92.1

$56.7 A$81.6

12.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 A$79.4

$63.0 A$90.6

-12.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.94 A$30.13

$14.06 A$20.24

48.93%

Cinema Ticket

$17.27 A$24.85

$17.14 A$24.67

0.76%

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

$2,320 A$3,339

$2,072 A$2,982

11.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.9K

$14.3K A$20.5K

60.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 A$110

$70.3 A$101

8.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 A$90.8

$54.9 A$78.9

14.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$176

$115 A$165

6.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 A$235

$135 A$195

20.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 A$2,786

$1,713 A$2,466

12.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 A$2,337

$1,278 A$1,839

27.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 A$4,058

$2,431 A$3,498

16.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 A$3,110

$1,833 A$2,637

17.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,369 A$12.0K

$10.1K A$14.5K

-17.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,001 A$8,635

$6,880 A$9,901

-12.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,209 A$6,056

$3,830 A$5,511

9.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.92

0.68%

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

Last update for Perth: October 19, 2026

Last update for Adelaide: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.6K 53.7%

Adelaide

$1.3K 48.4% 21.3% $346

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$366 12.1%

Adelaide

$415 15.7% 13.4% $49

Eating Out

Perth

$335 11.1%

Adelaide

$297 11.3% 11.3% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 10%

Adelaide

$274 10.4% 9.2% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$191 6.3%

Adelaide

$169 6.4% 11.7% $22

Getting Around

Perth

$119 3.9%

Adelaide

$110 4.2% 7.5% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$90 3%

Adelaide

$97 3.7% 8.3% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,936 in Perth and $1,713 in Adelaide. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 10% 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: $85.0 in Perth vs $81.0 in Adelaide. Groceries flip the comparison at $366 vs $415, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Adelaide

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

16:11 4:11 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

1,245,011

💱 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

Perth Adelaide 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Perth
Adelaide

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 Adelaide: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Perth and Adelaide differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($3,027 vs $2,640 including rent). Adelaide is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Perth, 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: $1,936 in Perth versus $1,713 in Adelaide. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,320 in Perth versus $2,072 in Adelaide. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Perth pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Adelaide 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, Perth and Adelaide 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 Adelaide gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.