Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Carlton

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlton: $2,328 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
112

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Carlton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $2,328 in Carlton.

Perth $3,080
Carlton $2,328

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $3,353 in Carlton.

Perth $4,194
Carlton $3,353

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $4,379 in Carlton.

Perth $5,309
Carlton $4,379

Living in Perth is roughly 32% more expensive than in Carlton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Carlton 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.51

$17.33 A$24.65

23.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$69.1 A$98.3

23.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.53

$10.28 A$14.62

6.23%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.48

$3.03 A$4.31

50.17%

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

$2.79 A$3.96

$2.70 A$3.84

3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.22

$2.05 A$2.91

10.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.82

$6.69 A$9.51

24.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.17

$6.60 A$9.39

29.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.39

$1.30 A$1.85

29.23%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.08 A$2.96

52.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.88

$1.39 A$1.98

45.32%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.52

$3.41 A$4.84

54.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.52

$10.40 A$14.79

-8.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.10

$9.96 A$14.17

-7.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.90

$14.94 A$21.25

-6.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.54

$3.31 A$4.71

38.97%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.49

$2.76 A$3.93

14.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.01

$3.27 A$4.66

7.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.89

$4.77 A$6.79

1.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.97

$2.41 A$3.42

15.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.68

$2.17 A$3.09

-13.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.14

$2.25 A$3.20

-1.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$0.90 A$1.28

48.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$60.9

$25.30 A$35.98

69.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.99

$10.61 A$15.09

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.19

$5.57 A$7.92

-21.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.79

$5.28 A$7.51

-36.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 A$3.42

$3.08 A$4.38

-21.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 A$142

$82.7 A$118

20.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.10

$3.67 A$5.22

-2.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$1.24 A$1.76

17.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.6

$26.46 A$37.64

52.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.92

$1.29 A$1.84

4.65%

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

$29.6K A$42.0K

$18.2K A$25.9K

62.11%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$14.0K A$20.0K

100.18%

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

$204 A$290

$93.2 A$133

118.50%

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

$33.62 A$47.82

$28.34 A$40.30

18.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.2

$46.79 A$66.6

38.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$76.8

$31.85 A$45.30

69.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.09

$17.90 A$25.46

18.21%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.59

$13.46 A$19.14

28.45%

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

$2,300 A$3,271

$2,108 A$2,998

9.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.9K

$12.4K A$17.6K

86.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$110

$80.0 A$114

-3.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$90.6

$51.0 A$72.5

25.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$69.7 A$99.1

73.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$236

$132 A$187

25.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,853

$1,409 A$2,005

42.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,380

$1,235 A$1,756

35.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,010

$2,220 A$3,158

26.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,067

$1,837 A$2,612

17.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$5,665 A$8,057

50.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,587

$4,619 A$6,569

30.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,008

$5,904 A$8,398

-28.46%

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 Carlton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Carlton

$1.2K 53.1% 26.2% $438

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

Carlton

$340 14.6% 7% $25

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

Carlton

$272 11.7% 19.6% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

Carlton

$168 7.2% 44.3% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

Carlton

$150 6.4% 22.4% $43

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Carlton

$105 4.5% 12.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

Carlton

$59 2.5% 33.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,006 in Perth and $1,409 in Carlton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 40% 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 $69 in Carlton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $340 per month, with Carlton cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Carlton

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

3 h ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

19,001

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Perth Carlton 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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 Carlton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,080 in Perth and $2,328 in Carlton, so Carlton is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% 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 $1,409 in Carlton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,300 in Perth versus $2,108 in Carlton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Perth. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,328 in Carlton versus $3,080 in Perth, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Carlton but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Carlton 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 Carlton are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Carlton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.