Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Byron Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Byron Bay: $2,417 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Byron Bay
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Byron Bay Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Byron Bay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,417

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Byron Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $2,417 in Byron Bay.

Perth $3,080
Byron Bay $2,417

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $3,485 in Byron Bay.

Perth $4,194
Byron Bay $3,485

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $4,552 in Byron Bay.

Perth $5,309
Byron Bay $4,552

Living in Perth is roughly 27% more expensive than in Byron Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Byron Bay 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.48

$17.30 A$24.58

23.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$81.6 A$116

4.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.51

$11.21 A$15.92

-2.59%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.47

$3.63 A$5.16

25.34%

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

$2.79 A$3.96

$1.42 A$2.02

96.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.21

$2.46 A$3.50

-8.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.81

$8.27 A$11.76

0.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.15

$8.49 A$12.06

0.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.38

$1.65 A$2.34

1.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.73 A$3.88

16.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.87

$2.33 A$3.32

-13.30%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.51

$4.78 A$6.80

10.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.51

$9.06 A$12.87

4.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.09

$9.27 A$13.17

-0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.88

$14.45 A$20.53

-3.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.53

$4.26 A$6.06

7.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.48

$3.01 A$4.28

4.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.00

$3.06 A$4.34

15.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.88

$4.76 A$6.76

1.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.97

$2.84 A$4.04

-1.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.68

$2.35 A$3.34

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.13

$2.37 A$3.37

-6.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.26 A$1.78

6.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$60.8

$33.79 A$48.01

26.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.19

$5.42 A$7.69

-19.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.78

$4.89 A$6.95

-31.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.73 A$3.88

-11.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 A$142

$82.3 A$117

21.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.10

$2.98 A$4.23

20.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$1.89 A$2.69

-22.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.5

$41.61 A$59.1

-2.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.92

$1.41 A$2.01

-4.26%

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

$29.6K A$42.0K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-0.42%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$24.9K A$35.4K

12.74%

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

$204 A$289

$160 A$227

27.62%

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

$33.62 A$47.77

$14.29 A$20.30

135.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.1

$42.53 A$60.4

52.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$76.7

$56.3 A$80.0

-4.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.06

$17.44 A$24.78

21.33%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.57

$13.79 A$19.59

25.38%

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

$2,300 A$3,267

$2,024 A$2,876

13.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.8K

$12.7K A$18.0K

82.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$110

$70.4 A$100.0

10.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$90.6

$20.97 A$29.79

203.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$71.1 A$101

70.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$235

$112 A$159

48.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,850

$1,392 A$1,978

44.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,378

$1,234 A$1,753

35.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,006

$2,283 A$3,244

23.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,064

$1,833 A$2,604

17.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$5,798 A$8,239

46.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,579

$4,944 A$7,024

22.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,002

$4,883 A$6,938

-13.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

19.20%

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

Last update for Perth: October 25, 2026

Last update for Byron Bay: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Byron Bay

$1.2K 51.1% 26.3% $440

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

Byron Bay

$364 15.1% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

Byron Bay

$290 12% 14.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

Byron Bay

$216 9% 28.4% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

Byron Bay

$123 5.1% 36% $69

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Byron Bay

$106 4.4% 12.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

Byron Bay

$84 3.5% 5.3% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,006 in Perth and $1,392 in Byron Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Byron Bay pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $86 in Perth vs $82 in Byron Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $364 per month, with Byron Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Byron Bay

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

3 h ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

10,538

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Perth Byron Bay 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth
Byron Bay

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 Byron Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,080 in Perth and $2,417 in Byron Bay, so Byron Bay is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 13% lower in Perth. 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: $2,006 in Perth versus $1,392 in Byron Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,300 in Perth versus $2,024 in Byron Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Byron Bay – a meal for two runs $82 versus $86 in Perth. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,417 in Byron Bay versus $3,080 in Perth, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Byron Bay but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Byron Bay 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 Byron Bay are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.