Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Gold Coast

For one person, living is cheaper in Gold Coast: $2,922 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
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Gold Coast Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Gold Coast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $2,922 in Gold Coast.

Perth $3,080
Gold Coast $2,922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $4,497 in Gold Coast.

Perth $4,194
Gold Coast $4,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $6,073 in Gold Coast.

Perth $5,309
Gold Coast $6,073

Living in Perth is roughly 5% more expensive than in Gold Coast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Gold Coast 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.48

$20.81 A$29.57

3.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$105 A$149

-18.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.51

$10.62 A$15.08

2.82%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.47

$3.76 A$5.34

21.01%

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

$2.79 A$3.96

$2.83 A$4.01

-1.41%

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

$7.77 A$11.04

6.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.15

$7.51 A$10.68

13.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.38

$1.57 A$2.22

7.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.65 A$3.76

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.87

$2.36 A$3.35

-14.41%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.51

$4.90 A$6.97

7.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.51

$9.09 A$12.92

4.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.09

$9.50 A$13.50

-3.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.88

$14.71 A$20.90

-4.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.53

$3.95 A$5.61

16.46%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.48

$3.19 A$4.53

-1.25%

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

$2.59 A$3.67

7.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.68

$2.48 A$3.52

-24.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.13

$2.45 A$3.47

-9.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$2.32 A$3.29

-42.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$60.8

$45.55 A$64.7

-6.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$14.19 A$20.16

-10.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.19

$5.73 A$8.14

-24.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.78

$6.73 A$9.56

-49.93%

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

$56.0 A$79.6

77.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.10

$2.22 A$3.15

61.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$1.65 A$2.34

-11.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.5

$36.90 A$52.4

9.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.92

$1.38 A$1.96

-2.17%

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

$29.6K A$42.0K

$29.2K A$41.5K

1.27%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$26.6K A$37.8K

5.65%

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

$204 A$289

$218 A$310

-6.67%

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

$33.62 A$47.77

$31.16 A$44.28

7.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.1

$54.4 A$77.3

19.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$76.7

$60.7 A$86.2

-11.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.06

$17.58 A$24.98

20.36%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.57

$13.50 A$19.18

28.07%

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

$2,300 A$3,267

$2,134 A$3,032

7.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.8K

$12.1K A$17.2K

90.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$110

$76.3 A$108

1.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$90.6

$53.6 A$76.1

18.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$106 A$150

14.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$235

$124 A$176

33.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,850

$2,293 A$3,258

-12.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,378

$1,588 A$2,256

5.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,006

$3,278 A$4,658

-14.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,064

$2,998 A$4,260

-28.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$10.8K A$15.4K

-21.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,579

$7,117 A$10.1K

-15.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,002

$4,118 A$5,851

2.58%

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 Gold Coast: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Gold Coast

$1.6K 54.4% 5.1% $85

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

Gold Coast

$384 13.2% 5.2% $19

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

Gold Coast

$318 10.9% 5.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

Gold Coast

$304 10.4% 0.6% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

Gold Coast

$162 5.5% 16% $31

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Gold Coast

$77 2.7% 35.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

Gold Coast

$88 3% 1% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,006 in Perth and $2,293 in Gold Coast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $86 in Perth vs $105 in Gold Coast for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $384 per month, with Perth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

06:27 6:27 AM

2 h ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

607,665

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Perth Gold Coast 3,630 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth
Gold Coast

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 Gold Coast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $3,080 in Perth and $2,922 in Gold Coast, so Gold Coast is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $4,620 in Perth and $4,382 in Gold Coast 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 $2,293 in Gold Coast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gold Coast runs roughly 44% less than in Perth. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,300 in Perth versus $2,134 in Gold Coast. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Safety-wise, Perth and Gold Coast are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Gold Coast wins on affordability, Perth on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.