Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Darwin

For one person, living costs are similar in Perth and in Darwin: $3,080 and $3,073 a month, rent and utilities included.

148

Cost of Living Index in Perth
Learn more

Perth Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
Learn more

Darwin Living Index

Jump to prices

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Darwin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $3,073 in Darwin.

Perth $3,080
Darwin $3,073

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $4,118 in Darwin.

Perth $4,194
Darwin $4,118

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $5,163 in Darwin.

Perth $5,309
Darwin $5,163

Monthly costs are close between Perth and Darwin; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.50

$22.40 A$31.85

-4.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$90.7 A$129

-5.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.52

$11.36 A$16.16

-3.87%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.47

$4.23 A$6.01

7.57%

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

$2.79 A$3.96

$3.46 A$4.92

-19.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.22

$3.01 A$4.28

-24.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.82

$7.57 A$10.76

9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.16

$7.57 A$10.77

12.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.39

$1.54 A$2.19

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.04 A$4.32

4.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.88

$2.20 A$3.13

-8.18%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.51

$4.47 A$6.35

18.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.52

$8.92 A$12.68

6.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.09

$8.31 A$11.82

10.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.90

$8.85 A$12.58

58.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.54

$3.85 A$5.47

19.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.48

$2.88 A$4.10

9.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.01

$2.80 A$3.98

25.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.89

$5.03 A$7.15

-3.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.97

$2.55 A$3.62

9.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.68

$2.30 A$3.27

-18.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.14

$2.06 A$2.93

7.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$2.17 A$3.09

-38.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$60.9

$45.35 A$64.5

-5.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.98

$12.15 A$17.28

4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.19

$10.13 A$14.40

-57.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.79

$7.87 A$11.19

-57.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 A$3.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 A$142

$48.37 A$68.8

105.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.10

$3.69 A$5.25

-2.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$1.35 A$1.91

8.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.5

$48.52 A$69.0

-16.61%

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

$30.0K A$42.6K

-1.32%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$33.4K A$47.5K

-15.77%

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

$204 A$289

$215 A$305

-5.10%

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

$33.62 A$47.81

$33.49 A$47.61

0.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.2

$60.9 A$86.7

6.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$76.8

$73.0 A$104

-26.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.08

$28.22 A$40.13

-25.02%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.59

$16.99 A$24.16

1.77%

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

$2,300 A$3,270

$1,939 A$2,756

18.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.8K

$8,442 A$12.0K

173.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$110

$85.2 A$121

-9.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$90.6

$46.52 A$66.2

36.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$106 A$150

14.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$236

$138 A$196

20.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,852

$1,719 A$2,444

16.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,379

$1,709 A$2,430

-2.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,008

$2,803 A$3,985

0.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,066

$2,124 A$3,021

1.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$3,771 A$5,363

125.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,585

$3,536 A$5,028

70.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,006

$4,223 A$6,005

0.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

6.14

-2.93%

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

Last update for Perth: October 25, 2026

Last update for Darwin: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Darwin

$1.7K 55.6% 2.1% $36

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

Darwin

$377 12.3% 3.3% $12

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

Darwin

$343 11.2% 1.5% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

Darwin

$309 10.1% 2.3% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

Darwin

$169 5.5% 12.4% $24

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Darwin

$59 * 1.9% 51% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

Darwin

$107 3.5% 20.7% $18

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 $1,719 in Darwin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86 in Perth vs $91 in Darwin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $377 per month, with Perth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Darwin

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

122,207

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Perth Darwin 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Perth
Darwin

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 Darwin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $4,620 in Perth and $4,609 in Darwin 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: $2,006 in Perth versus $1,719 in Darwin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Darwin runs roughly 51% less than in Perth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Shoppers in Perth pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Darwin is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Darwin are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.