Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Bowral

For one person, living is cheaper in Bowral: $2,461 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in Bowral
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Bowral Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Bowral

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Bowral

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $2,461 in Bowral.

Perth $3,080
Bowral $2,461

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $3,627 in Bowral.

Perth $4,194
Bowral $3,627

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $4,793 in Bowral.

Perth $5,309
Bowral $4,793

Living in Perth is roughly 25% more expensive than in Bowral, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Bowral 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.63

$15.60 A$22.28

37.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$89.6 A$128

-4.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.59

$10.59 A$15.12

3.12%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.50

$2.76 A$3.95

64.86%

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

$2.79 A$3.98

$2.08 A$2.97

34.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.23

$1.44 A$2.05

56.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.87

$8.52 A$12.17

-2.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.22

$9.89 A$14.13

-13.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.40

$1.49 A$2.13

12.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.54

$3.09 A$4.42

2.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.89

$2.50 A$3.57

-19.20%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.55

$5.36 A$7.66

-1.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.58

$12.74 A$18.20

-25.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.15

$9.64 A$13.76

-4.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.99

$15.21 A$21.72

-8.02%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.57

$3.87 A$5.52

18.86%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.50

$3.21 A$4.58

-1.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.03

$3.60 A$5.14

-2.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.92

$5.18 A$7.40

-6.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.99

$3.17 A$4.53

-11.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.69

$2.84 A$4.06

-33.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.15

$2.57 A$3.67

-14.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.91

$1.37 A$1.96

-2.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$61.1

$45.12 A$64.4

-5.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$18.06

$14.23 A$20.32

-11.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.22

$4.82 A$6.88

-9.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.81

$5.62 A$8.03

-40.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 A$3.44

$2.97 A$4.23

-18.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 A$142

$81.1 A$116

22.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.12

$3.96 A$5.65

-9.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.08

$1.64 A$2.34

-10.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.8

$43.97 A$62.8

-7.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.31 A$1.87

3.05%

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

$29.6K A$42.2K

$27.8K A$39.7K

6.25%

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

$28.1K A$40.2K

$26.0K A$37.1K

8.32%

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

$204 A$291

$182 A$261

11.58%

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

$33.62 A$48.01

$26.81 A$38.29

25.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.6

$56.4 A$80.6

14.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$77.1

$55.6 A$79.4

-2.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.21

$17.64 A$25.19

19.95%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.69

$15.43 A$22.04

12.05%

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

$2,300 A$3,284

$2,372 A$3,387

-3.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$33.0K

$20.2K A$28.8K

14.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$111

$76.4 A$109

1.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$91.0

$57.1 A$81.5

11.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$108 A$154

12.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$237

$130 A$186

27.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,864

$1,408 A$2,010

42.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,390

$1,177 A$1,680

42.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,026

$2,171 A$3,101

29.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,079

$1,848 A$2,639

16.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$5,792 A$8,272

46.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,622

$4,998 A$7,138

20.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,032

$3,177 A$4,538

32.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.95

0.17%

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

Last update for Perth: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bowral: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Bowral

$1.2K 47.8% 29.7% $497

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

Bowral

$394 16% 7.8% $29

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

Bowral

$266 10.8% 21.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

Bowral

$266 10.8% 12% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

Bowral

$167 6.8% 13.2% $25

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Bowral

$105 4.3% 12.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

Bowral

$86 3.5% 2.3% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,006 in Perth and $1,408 in Bowral. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 33% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $86 in Perth vs $90 in Bowral for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $394 per month, with Perth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Bowral

🕒 Local time

17:44 5:44 PM

20:44 8:44 PM

3 h ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

10,764

💱 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

Perth Bowral 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Perth
Bowral

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 Bowral: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,080 in Perth and $2,461 in Bowral, so Bowral is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% 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: $2,006 in Perth versus $1,408 in Bowral. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,300 in Perth versus $2,372 in Bowral. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Perth pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $2,461 in Bowral versus $3,080 in Perth, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Bowral but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Bowral the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Bowral are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bowral wins on affordability, Perth on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.