Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Broken Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Broken Hill: $2,371 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Broken Hill
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Broken Hill Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Broken Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Broken Hill

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $2,371 in Broken Hill.

Perth $3,080
Broken Hill $2,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $3,506 in Broken Hill.

Perth $4,194
Broken Hill $3,506

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $4,641 in Broken Hill.

Perth $5,309
Broken Hill $4,641

Living in Perth is roughly 30% more expensive than in Broken Hill, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Broken Hill 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.63

$16.76 A$23.94

27.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$83.4 A$119

2.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.59

$9.11 A$13.01

19.87%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.50

$4.13 A$5.90

10.17%

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

$2.79 A$3.98

$2.79 A$3.99

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.23

$2.33 A$3.33

-3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.87

$7.47 A$10.66

11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.22

$7.00 A$10.00

22.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.40

$1.76 A$2.52

-4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.54

$2.80 A$4.00

13.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.89

$2.04 A$2.91

-0.98%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.55

$5.54 A$7.91

-4.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.58

$9.62 A$13.74

-1.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.15

$10.18 A$14.54

-9.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.99

$16.35 A$23.35

-14.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.57

$4.25 A$6.07

8.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.50

$2.85 A$4.06

10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.03

$2.98 A$4.26

18.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.92

$4.72 A$6.74

2.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.99

$3.03 A$4.32

-7.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.69

$2.34 A$3.34

-19.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.15

$2.23 A$3.19

-0.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.91

$1.56 A$2.22

-14.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$61.1

$48.29 A$69.0

-11.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$18.06

$15.24 A$21.76

-16.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.22

$4.21 A$6.01

3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.81

$5.47 A$7.82

-38.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 A$3.44

$2.70 A$3.85

-10.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 A$142

$76.7 A$109

29.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.12

$3.77 A$5.39

-4.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.08

$1.80 A$2.57

-18.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.8

$44.58 A$63.7

-9.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.52 A$2.17

-11.18%

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

$29.6K A$42.2K

$30.7K A$43.9K

-3.74%

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

$28.1K A$40.2K

$24.5K A$35.0K

14.75%

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

$204 A$291

$205 A$293

-0.71%

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

$33.62 A$48.01

$25.11 A$35.87

33.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.6

$57.2 A$81.6

13.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$77.1

$63.6 A$90.9

-15.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.21

$15.15 A$21.63

39.67%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.69

$13.97 A$19.96

23.77%

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

$2,300 A$3,284

$2,372 A$3,388

-3.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$33.0K

$21.7K A$30.9K

6.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$111

$69.0 A$98.5

12.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$91.0

$48.07 A$68.7

32.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$106 A$151

14.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$237

$125 A$178

32.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,864

$1,594 A$2,277

25.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,390

$1,070 A$1,528

56.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,026

$2,252 A$3,216

25.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,079

$1,720 A$2,457

25.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$5,079 A$7,253

67.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,622

$4,926 A$7,035

22.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,032

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.9

1.02%

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

Last update for Perth: October 25, 2026

Last update for Broken Hill: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Broken Hill

$1.1K 45.1% 36.1% $604

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

Broken Hill

$383 16.1% 4.7% $17

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

Broken Hill

$283 11.9% 16.3% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

Broken Hill

$287 12.1% 4.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

Broken Hill

$156 6.6% 18.8% $36

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Broken Hill

$100 4.2% 16.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

Broken Hill

$92 3.9% 3.4% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,006 in Perth and $1,594 in Broken Hill. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86 in Perth vs $83 in Broken Hill. Groceries flip the comparison at $365 vs $383, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Broken Hill

🕒 Local time

17:17 5:17 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

17,456

💱 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

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Between locations

Perth Broken Hill 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Perth
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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 Broken Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Broken Hill is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,620 in Perth and $3,556 in Broken Hill 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: $2,006 in Perth versus $1,594 in Broken Hill. 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 Broken Hill. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Perth pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

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