Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Kalgoorlie

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalgoorlie: $1,944 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Kalgoorlie
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Kalgoorlie Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Kalgoorlie

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,944

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Kalgoorlie

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $1,944 in Kalgoorlie.

Perth $3,080
Kalgoorlie $1,944

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $3,314 in Kalgoorlie.

Perth $4,194
Kalgoorlie $3,314

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $4,684 in Kalgoorlie.

Perth $5,309
Kalgoorlie $4,684

Living in Perth is roughly 58% more expensive than in Kalgoorlie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Kalgoorlie 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.51

$17.45 A$24.82

22.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$85.3 A$121

0.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.53

$10.53 A$14.98

3.70%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.48

$4.68 A$6.65

-2.78%

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

$2.79 A$3.96

$3.76 A$5.35

-25.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.22

$3.47 A$4.94

-34.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.82

$6.13 A$8.72

35.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.17

$7.33 A$10.43

16.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.39

$1.57 A$2.24

7.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.52

$3.46 A$4.92

-8.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.88

$2.25 A$3.20

-10.22%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.52

$4.64 A$6.59

13.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.52

$9.60 A$13.65

-0.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.10

$9.45 A$13.44

-2.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.90

$14.98 A$21.31

-6.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.54

$3.83 A$5.45

20.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.49

$3.12 A$4.44

0.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.01

$3.27 A$4.65

7.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.89

$4.52 A$6.43

7.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.97

$2.78 A$3.95

0.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.68

$2.47 A$3.51

-23.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.14

$2.13 A$3.02

3.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.59 A$2.26

-15.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$60.9

$41.62 A$59.2

2.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.99

$14.03 A$19.96

-9.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.19

$4.85 A$6.90

-10.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.79

$5.22 A$7.42

-35.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.81 A$4.00

-14.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 A$142

$83.1 A$118

19.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.10

$3.53 A$5.02

1.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$1.69 A$2.40

-13.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.6

$43.29 A$61.6

-6.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.92

$1.35 A$1.93

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

$29.6K A$42.0K

$26.5K A$37.7K

11.55%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$28.3K A$40.3K

-0.81%

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

$204 A$290

$312 A$443

-34.67%

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

$33.62 A$47.82

$56.5 A$80.4

-40.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.2

$69.1 A$98.2

-6.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$76.8

$38.33 A$54.5

40.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.09

$18.58 A$26.42

13.89%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.59

$17.77 A$25.28

-2.70%

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

$2,300 A$3,271

$2,057 A$2,926

11.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.9K

$17.7K A$25.1K

30.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$110

$76.9 A$109

0.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$90.6

$55.4 A$78.8

15.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$108 A$154

11.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$236

$106 A$150

56.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,853

$1,383 A$1,967

45.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,380

$493 A$702

239.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,010

$1,661 A$2,363

69.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,067

$1,579 A$2,246

36.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$6,521 A$9,275

30.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,587

$4,802 A$6,830

25.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,008

$6,189 A$8,802

-31.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

6.25

-4.64%

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

Last update for Perth: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kalgoorlie: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Kalgoorlie

$493 25.4% 70.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

Kalgoorlie

$376 19.3% 2.9% $11

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

Kalgoorlie

$302 15.5% 10.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

Kalgoorlie

$437 22.5% 44.8% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

Kalgoorlie

$156 8% 19.1% $37

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Kalgoorlie

$106 5.5% 11.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

Kalgoorlie

$74 3.8% 16.6% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,006 in Perth and $1,383 in Kalgoorlie. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kalgoorlie pays 47% 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 $85 in Kalgoorlie. Groceries flip the comparison at $365 vs $376, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Kalgoorlie

🕒 Local time

16:06 4:06 PM

Same time as Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

29,068

💱 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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Perth Kalgoorlie 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Kalgoorlie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kalgoorlie wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Perth. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kalgoorlie the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 32% 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 $1,383 in Kalgoorlie. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,300 in Perth versus $2,057 in Kalgoorlie. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Kalgoorlie runs roughly 17% less than in Perth. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your 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 Kalgoorlie are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.