Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Busselton

For one person, living is cheaper in Busselton: $2,583 a month against $3,053 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Busselton
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Busselton Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,053

/mo nomad

Busselton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,583

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Busselton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,053 in Perth versus $2,583 in Busselton.

Perth $3,053
Busselton $2,583

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,180 in Perth versus $3,703 in Busselton.

Perth $4,180
Busselton $3,703

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,307 in Perth versus $4,823 in Busselton.

Perth $5,307
Busselton $4,823

Living in Perth is roughly 18% more expensive than in Busselton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Busselton 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.83 A$29.82

$17.86 A$25.57

16.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 A$122

$82.8 A$119

3.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 A$15.01

$10.35 A$14.81

1.26%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.46

$4.45 A$6.37

1.35%

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

$2.85 A$4.08

$2.07 A$2.96

37.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 A$3.15

$2.15 A$3.08

2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.65 A$12.38

$8.58 A$12.29

0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.62 A$12.34

$8.60 A$12.32

0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 A$2.53

$1.73 A$2.48

2.31%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 A$4.60

$3.22 A$4.61

-0.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 A$2.86

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.56

$5.20 A$7.44

1.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.19

$9.27 A$13.26

-0.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 A$13.04

$8.99 A$12.86

1.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 A$21.23

$13.91 A$19.91

6.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 A$6.37

$4.67 A$6.69

-4.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.64

$3.21 A$4.59

0.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.91

$3.52 A$5.04

-2.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 A$6.84

$4.93 A$7.05

-3.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.14

$2.79 A$4.00

3.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 A$2.75

$1.91 A$2.74

0.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 A$3.07

$2.30 A$3.29

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 A$1.97

$1.40 A$2.00

-2.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.37 A$59.2

$41.54 A$59.5

-0.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 A$17.69

$12.50 A$17.89

-1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.72 A$6.75

$4.57 A$6.54

3.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 A$4.77

$3.49 A$4.99

-4.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 A$3.44

$2.80 A$4.01

-14.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.9 A$142

$83.0 A$119

19.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.70

$3.72 A$5.33

6.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 A$2.16

$1.40 A$2.00

7.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.81 A$62.7

$40.27 A$57.6

8.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.99

$1.35 A$1.93

2.96%

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

$30.3K A$43.4K

$30.4K A$43.5K

-0.19%

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

$27.9K A$39.9K

$27.3K A$39.1K

1.99%

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

$199 A$286

$203 A$291

-1.87%

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

$33.29 A$47.65

$33.24 A$47.59

0.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.4 A$89.3

$64.8 A$92.7

-3.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 A$75.6

$55.7 A$79.8

-5.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.62 A$29.52

$17.79 A$25.47

15.91%

Cinema Ticket

$17.70 A$25.34

$17.24 A$24.68

2.67%

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

$2,249 A$3,219

$2,330 A$3,335

-3.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.9K A$47.1K

$23.7K A$33.9K

38.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$113

$76.5 A$110

3.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.4 A$92.3

$63.1 A$90.4

2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$174

$123 A$176

-0.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 A$226

$161 A$231

-1.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 A$2,893

$1,390 A$1,990

45.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 A$2,373

$1,225 A$1,753

35.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 A$4,014

$2,240 A$3,207

25.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,174 A$3,111

$1,789 A$2,561

21.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,368 A$12.0K

$5,965 A$8,539

40.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,211 A$8,891

$4,995 A$7,150

24.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,169 A$5,967

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.96

-1.01%

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

Last update for Perth: November 2, 2026

Last update for Busselton: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Busselton

$1.2K 47.4% 26.1% $433

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$368 12.1%

Busselton

$367 14.2% 0.4% $1.5

Eating Out

Perth

$333 10.9%

Busselton

$304 11.8% 8.6% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$295 9.7%

Busselton

$301 11.7% 2.1% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$191 6.2%

Busselton

$191 7.4% 0% $0.1

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Busselton

$105 4.1% 12.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$88 2.9%

Busselton

$90 3.5% 2.3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,021 in Perth and $1,390 in Busselton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Perth vs $83 in Busselton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $367 per month, with Busselton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Busselton

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

Same time as Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

27,233

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Busselton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,053 in Perth and $2,583 in Busselton, so Busselton is about 15% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,580 in Perth and $3,874 in Busselton 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: $2,021 in Perth versus $1,390 in Busselton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,249 in Perth versus $2,330 in Busselton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $3,053 per month in Perth versus $2,583 in Busselton – Busselton is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,583 in Busselton versus $3,053 in Perth, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Busselton but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Busselton 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 Busselton are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.