Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Canberra

For one person, living is cheaper in Canberra: $2,886 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Perth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

148

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Canberra

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

A single person spends $3,080 per month in Perth vs $2,886 in Canberra, rent included.

Perth $3,080
Canberra $2,886

A couple spends around $4,194 per month in Perth vs $4,020 in Canberra, rent included.

Perth $4,194
Canberra $4,020

A family of three spends $5,309 per month in Perth vs $5,153 in Canberra, rent included.

Perth $5,309
Canberra $5,153

Perth costs about 7% more than Canberra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Perth and Canberra sit above the global median – Perth by 126%, Canberra by 112%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.48

$20.77 A$29.51

3.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$89.8 A$128

-4.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.51

$10.43 A$14.82

4.70%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.47

$3.99 A$5.66

14.04%

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

$2.79 A$3.96

$3.12 A$4.43

-10.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.21

$2.64 A$3.75

-14.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.81

$8.32 A$11.82

-0.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.15

$10.11 A$14.36

-15.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.38

$1.49 A$2.12

12.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.14 A$4.47

1.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.87

$2.53 A$3.59

-20.16%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.51

$5.32 A$7.56

-0.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.51

$13.15 A$18.68

-27.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.09

$9.98 A$14.18

-7.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.88

$15.08 A$21.43

-7.23%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.53

$4.03 A$5.72

14.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.48

$3.17 A$4.50

-0.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.00

$3.54 A$5.03

-0.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.88

$5.13 A$7.29

-5.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.97

$3.22 A$4.57

-13.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.68

$2.83 A$4.02

-33.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.13

$2.48 A$3.52

-10.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.40 A$2.00

-4.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$60.8

$44.06 A$62.6

-2.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$14.26 A$20.26

-11.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.19

$4.81 A$6.84

-9.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.78

$5.68 A$8.07

-40.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.53 A$3.60

-4.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 A$142

$94.8 A$135

5.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.10

$3.99 A$5.67

-10.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$1.65 A$2.35

-11.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.5

$42.56 A$60.5

-4.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.92

$1.33 A$1.89

1.50%

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

$29.6K A$42.0K

$28.0K A$39.8K

5.66%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$26.3K A$37.4K

6.95%

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

$204 A$289

$184 A$262

10.49%

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

$33.62 A$47.77

$26.57 A$37.75

26.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.1

$55.9 A$79.5

15.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$76.7

$79.4 A$113

-32.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.06

$27.81 A$39.52

-23.91%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.57

$16.02 A$22.76

7.93%

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

$2,300 A$3,267

$2,460 A$3,496

-6.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.8K

$20.6K A$29.3K

12.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$110

$76.1 A$108

1.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$90.6

$57.4 A$81.6

10.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$107 A$153

12.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$235

$133 A$189

24.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,850

$1,749 A$2,485

14.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,378

$1,495 A$2,125

11.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,006

$3,065 A$4,355

-8.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,064

$1,978 A$2,811

8.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$11.1K A$15.8K

-23.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,579

$7,790 A$11.1K

-22.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,002

$4,317 A$6,134

-2.16%

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 Canberra: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8% 10.6% $178

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

Canberra

$397 13.8% 8.7% $32

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

Canberra

$330 11.4% 2.3% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

Canberra

$267 9.2% 11.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

Canberra

$168 5.8% 12.7% $24

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Canberra

$117 4.1% 2.5% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

Canberra

$111 3.9% 25.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,006 in Perth versus $1,749 in Canberra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Perth versus $90 in Canberra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $365 vs $397 – making Perth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Canberra

🕒 Local time

21:00 9:00 PM

00:00 12:00 AM

3 h ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

466,566 Capital

💱 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 Canberra 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Perth
Canberra

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 Canberra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,080 in Perth, $2,886 in Canberra – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,620 per month in Perth and $4,329 in Canberra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Canberra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,749 there versus $2,006 in Perth.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,080 in Perth and $2,886 in Canberra. That’s a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Canberra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.