Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Coffs Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Coffs Harbour: $2,468 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Perth, Australia
Coffs Harbour, Australia
Perth
🇦🇺 Australia
$3,080
/mo nomad
Coffs Harbour
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,468
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Coffs Harbour

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $2,468 in Coffs Harbour.

  • Perth $3,080
  • Coffs Harbour $2,468

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $3,579 in Coffs Harbour.

  • Perth $4,194
  • Coffs Harbour $3,579

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $4,690 in Coffs Harbour.

  • Perth $5,309
  • Coffs Harbour $4,690

Living in Perth is roughly 25% more expensive than in Coffs Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Coffs Harbour 81% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Perth
Coffs Harbour
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.45 A$30.48
$14.25 A$20.25
50.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.5 A$122
$104 A$147
-17.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.92 A$15.51
$8.87 A$12.61
23.11%
Cappuccino
$4.55 A$6.47
$3.77 A$5.36
20.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 A$3.96
$2.86 A$4.07
-2.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 A$3.21
$1.95 A$2.77
15.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.31 A$11.81
$5.37 A$7.64
54.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.55 A$12.15
$5.48 A$7.79
56.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Perth
Coffs Harbour
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 A$2.38
$1.52 A$2.16
10.53%
White Bread (500g)
$3.18 A$4.52
$2.64 A$3.74
20.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.02 A$2.87
$2.40 A$3.41
-15.83%
Eggs
$5.28 A$7.51
$3.36 A$4.77
57.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.51 A$13.51
$8.69 A$12.35
9.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.21 A$13.09
$7.11 A$10.11
29.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.99 A$19.88
$13.76 A$19.56
1.67%
Apples (1kg)
$4.60 A$6.53
$3.98 A$5.65
15.58%
Banana (1kg)
$3.15 A$4.48
$3.09 A$4.39
1.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.52 A$5.00
$3.47 A$4.93
1.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.84 A$6.88
$4.16 A$5.91
16.35%
Potato (1kg)
$2.79 A$3.97
$1.43 A$2.03
95.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.88 A$2.68
$2.44 A$3.47
-22.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.21 A$3.13
$2.52 A$3.58
-12.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 A$1.90
$2.37 A$3.37
-43.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$42.80 A$60.8
$32.01 A$45.48
33.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.65 A$17.97
$14.22 A$20.20
-11.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.35 A$6.19
$6.05 A$8.59
-28.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 A$4.78
$6.63 A$9.41
-49.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Perth
Coffs Harbour
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.41 A$3.42
$4.72 A$6.71
-48.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$99.6 A$142
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.59 A$5.10
$2.11 A$3.00
70.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.46 A$2.07
$1.59 A$2.26
-8.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.46 A$57.5
$35.69 A$50.7
13.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 A$1.92
$1.32 A$1.87
2.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.6K A$42.0K
$28.9K A$41.1K
2.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.1K A$40.0K
$26.7K A$37.9K
5.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Perth
Coffs Harbour
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$204 A$289
$175 A$248
16.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.62 A$47.77
$10.59 A$15.05
217.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.8 A$92.1
$53.9 A$76.6
20.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Perth
Coffs Harbour
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$54.0 A$76.7
$108 A$153
-49.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.16 A$30.06
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.29 A$24.57
$13.45 A$19.11
28.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Perth
Coffs Harbour
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,300 A$3,267
$2,183 A$3,102
5.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.1K A$32.8K
$11.8K A$16.7K
96.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Perth
Coffs Harbour
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.5 A$110
$77.2 A$110
0.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.7 A$90.6
$53.5 A$76.1
19.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 A$172
$103 A$146
18.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$166 A$235
$124 A$176
34.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Perth
Coffs Harbour
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,006 A$2,850
$1,399 A$1,988
43.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,673 A$2,378
$1,302 A$1,850
28.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,819 A$4,006
$2,111 A$2,999
33.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,156 A$3,064
$1,945 A$2,764
10.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,504 A$12.1K
$3,566 A$5,066
138.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,037 A$8,579
$3,623 A$5,149
66.62%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Perth
Coffs Harbour
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,224 A$6,002
$3,275 A$4,653
28.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.96
5.69
4.75%

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

Last update for Perth: October 25, 2026

Last update for Coffs Harbour: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Perth
$1.7K
Coffs Harbour
$1.3K 22.2% $372
Groceries & Markets
Perth
$365
Coffs Harbour
$360 1.4% $5.1
Eating Out
Perth
$338
Coffs Harbour
$243 28.1% $95
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Perth
$302
Coffs Harbour
$239 20.8% $63
Clothing & Footwear
Perth
$193
Coffs Harbour
$161 16.6% $32
Getting Around
Perth
$120
Coffs Harbour
$29 * 75.9% $91
Sport & Entertainment
Perth
$89
Coffs Harbour
$135 52% $46

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,006 in Perth and $1,399 in Coffs Harbour. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $86 in Perth vs $104 in Coffs Harbour. Groceries flip the comparison at $365 vs $360, with Coffs Harbour cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Perth
🇦🇺 Coffs Harbour
🕒 Local time
04:32 4:32 AM
07:32 7:32 AM
3 h ahead of Perth
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,043,762
78,759
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Perth Coffs Harbour 3,530 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Perth
  • Coffs Harbour

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 Coffs Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Coffs Harbour cheaper than Perth?
Coffs Harbour is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Perth or Coffs Harbour?
Average pay runs 29% higher in Perth, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Perth and Coffs Harbour?
Rent for a central apartment: $2,006 in Perth versus $1,399 in Coffs Harbour. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Perth or in Coffs Harbour?
Dining out is cheaper in Perth – a meal for two runs $86 versus $104 in Coffs Harbour. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $2,300 in Perth versus $2,183 in Coffs Harbour. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is it better to live in Perth or in Coffs Harbour?
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.
Which city is safer, Perth or Coffs Harbour?
Safety-wise, Perth and Coffs Harbour are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Coffs Harbour wins on affordability, Perth on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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