Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Austin, TX: $2,704 a month against $3,040 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,040

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,040 in Perth versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Perth $3,040
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Perth versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Perth $4,133
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,226 in Perth versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Perth $5,226
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Perth is roughly 12% more expensive than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 127% above, Austin, TX 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 A$28.90

$20.22 $20.22

-0.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$122

$85.0 $85.0

-0.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 A$15.05

$12.35 $12.35

-15.14%

Cappuccino

$4.47 A$6.43

$5.47 $5.47

-18.28%

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

$2.85 A$4.09

$3.82 $3.82

-25.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 A$3.15

$2.50 $2.50

-12.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 A$11.78

$8.06 $8.06

1.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.19 A$11.77

$8.99 $8.99

-8.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 A$2.55

$1.13 $1.13

56.64%

White Bread (500g)

$3.19 A$4.58

$3.78 $3.78

-15.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.82

$3.25 $3.25

-39.38%

Eggs

$5.22 A$7.49

$4.14 $4.14

26.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.97

$13.08 $13.08

-30.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 A$13.08

$14.31 $14.31

-36.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.83 A$19.86

$15.96 $15.96

-13.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.65 A$6.68

$4.38 $4.38

6.16%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.49

$1.45 $1.45

115.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.41 A$4.90

$4.54 $4.54

-24.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 A$7.12

$4.19 $4.19

18.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.06

$2.63 $2.63

7.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 A$2.79

$2.36 $2.36

-17.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 A$3.24

$1.76 $1.76

28.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 A$1.94

$2.16 $2.16

-37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.49 A$61.0

$9.81 $9.81

333.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 A$18.19

$14.72 $14.72

-13.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.28 A$6.14

$2.78 $2.78

53.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 A$4.91

$3.48 $3.48

-2.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 A$3.52

$1.49 $1.49

64.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.3 A$141

$40.51 $40.51

142.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.09

$2.67 $2.67

32.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.10

$1.58 $1.58

-7.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.76 A$58.5

$35.29 $35.29

15.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.94

$0.99 $0.99

36.36%

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

$27.3K A$39.2K

$35.8K $35.8K

-23.77%

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

$29.5K A$42.4K

$27.2K $27.2K

8.59%

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

$198 A$284

$219 $219

-9.89%

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

$33.36 A$47.92

$58.0 $58.0

-42.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.0 A$90.4

$68.4 $68.4

-7.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.3 A$82.3

$57.9 $57.9

-1.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.56 A$30.97

$14.82 $14.82

45.48%

Cinema Ticket

$17.16 A$24.64

$14.13 $14.13

21.44%

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

$2,277 A$3,271

$1,509 $1,509

50.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K A$32.6K

$21.5K $21.5K

5.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.7 A$110

$51.7 $51.7

48.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.2 A$92.2

$44.05 $44.05

45.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$176

$85.1 $85.1

43.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 A$237

$105 $105

56.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 A$2,788

$1,932 $1,932

0.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 A$2,363

$1,272 $1,272

29.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,736 A$3,930

$3,670 $3,670

-25.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,097

$2,525 $2,525

-14.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,449 A$12.1K

$7,617 $7,617

10.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,054 A$8,696

$3,199 $3,199

89.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,280 A$6,147

$5,105 $5,105

-16.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.89

6.79

-13.25%

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

Last update for Perth: October 6, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.6K 54.3%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 22.7% $373

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$364 12%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 10.7% $39

Eating Out

Perth

$324 10.7%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 7.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$294 9.7%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 17.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.4%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 33.2% $64

Getting Around

Perth

$119 3.9%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 52.1% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$92 3%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 5.9% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,941 in Perth and $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 19% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Perth vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $403 per month, with Perth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

20:05 8:05 PM

13 h behind Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

974,447

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Perth Austin, TX 16,820 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth
Austin, TX

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 Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Austin, TX wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Perth. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Austin, TX the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 19% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,941 in Perth versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,040 per month in Perth versus $2,704 in Austin, TX – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Austin, TX runs roughly 143% less than in Perth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.