Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Karratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Karratha: $2,473 a month against $3,027 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Karratha
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Karratha Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,027

/mo nomad

Karratha

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Karratha

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

A single person spends $3,027 per month in Perth vs $2,473 in Karratha, rent included.

Perth $3,027
Karratha $2,473

A couple spends around $4,162 per month in Perth vs $3,581 in Karratha, rent included.

Perth $4,162
Karratha $3,581

A family of three spends $5,297 per month in Perth vs $4,690 in Karratha, rent included.

Perth $5,297
Karratha $4,690

Perth costs about 22% more than Karratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Perth and Karratha sit above the global median – Perth by 123%, Karratha by 83%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 A$30.16

$17.59 A$24.99

20.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$120

$82.6 A$117

2.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 A$15.64

$10.31 A$14.66

6.79%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.30

$3.88 A$5.52

14.18%

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

$2.88 A$4.09

$2.83 A$4.02

1.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.19

$2.19 A$3.11

2.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 A$11.99

$7.54 A$10.72

11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 A$11.68

$7.58 A$10.77

8.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.48

$1.52 A$2.16

14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 A$4.43

$2.72 A$3.86

14.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.92

$2.26 A$3.21

-8.85%

Eggs

$5.21 A$7.41

$4.83 A$6.86

7.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.81

$9.42 A$13.39

-4.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 A$13.26

$9.43 A$13.39

-1.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 A$19.60

$14.89 A$21.15

-7.32%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.52

$3.97 A$5.65

15.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.59

$3.11 A$4.42

3.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.83

$3.29 A$4.68

3.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$6.94

$4.75 A$6.75

2.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.07

$2.81 A$3.99

1.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 A$2.68

$2.39 A$3.40

-20.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 A$3.11

$2.33 A$3.31

-6.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.47 A$2.09

-5.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.45 A$60.3

$41.46 A$58.9

2.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 A$18.08

$13.65 A$19.39

-6.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.56 A$6.47

$4.76 A$6.76

-4.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 A$4.72

$5.35 A$7.60

-37.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 A$3.41

$2.89 A$4.11

-16.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 A$140

$82.2 A$117

19.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.01

$3.38 A$4.81

4.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$1.58 A$2.24

-7.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 A$57.4

$39.46 A$56.1

2.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.93

$1.36 A$1.94

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

$29.6K A$42.1K

$27.0K A$38.3K

9.77%

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

$27.7K A$39.4K

$29.6K A$42.1K

-6.40%

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

$205 A$292

$202 A$286

1.86%

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

$32.82 A$46.63

$27.87 A$39.60

17.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 A$91.0

$55.4 A$78.7

15.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 A$78.4

$56.7 A$80.6

-2.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.94 A$29.75

$17.66 A$25.10

18.57%

Cinema Ticket

$17.27 A$24.54

$14.78 A$21.00

16.85%

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

$2,320 A$3,297

$2,176 A$3,091

6.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.5K

$20.4K A$29.0K

12.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 A$109

$77.6 A$110

-1.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 A$89.6

$54.7 A$77.7

15.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$173

$108 A$153

13.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 A$232

$120 A$171

35.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 A$2,751

$1,391 A$1,976

39.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 A$2,307

$1,176 A$1,671

38.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 A$4,007

$2,113 A$3,003

33.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 A$3,071

$1,779 A$2,527

21.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,369 A$11.9K

$5,861 A$8,328

42.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,001 A$8,526

$4,940 A$7,020

21.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,209 A$5,980

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.84

2.05%

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

Last update for Perth: October 19, 2026

Last update for Karratha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.6K 53.7%

Karratha

$1.2K 47.5% 27.6% $448

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$366 12.1%

Karratha

$368 14.9% 0.6% $2.4

Eating Out

Perth

$335 11.1%

Karratha

$291 11.8% 13.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 10%

Karratha

$285 11.5% 5.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$191 6.3%

Karratha

$162 6.6% 15.1% $29

Getting Around

Perth

$119 3.9%

Karratha

$105 4.3% 11.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$90 3%

Karratha

$86 3.5% 3.9% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,936 in Perth versus $1,391 in Karratha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Perth versus $83 in Karratha. Groceries tell a different story – $366 in Perth vs $368 in Karratha – so Perth wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Karratha

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

Same time as Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

17,013

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Perth Karratha 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth
Karratha

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 Karratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,027 in Perth, $2,473 in Karratha – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,540 per month in Perth and $3,710 in Karratha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karratha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,391 there versus $1,936 in Perth.

Kindergarten costs $2,320 per month in Perth and $2,176 in Karratha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,027 in Perth and $2,473 in Karratha. That’s a gap of about 22%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Karratha, where all-in costs run around $2,473, than in Perth at $3,027. In Karratha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Perth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karratha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.