Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Lake Macquarie Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Lake Macquarie

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Perth is 9.8% more expensive than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 16.4% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ™‚ Family of 3: Perth is 2.1% cheaper than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 1.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Perth
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.32 A$25
$12.91 A$19.78
26.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.2 A$118
$77.1 A$118
0.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.48 A$16.06
$9.66 A$14.79
8.49%
Cappuccino
$3.71 A$5.68
$3.34 A$5.12
11.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 A$3.77
$2.38 A$3.65
3.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 A$2.97
$2 A$3.07
-3.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.73 A$11.84
$6.35 A$9.72
21.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.4 A$9.8
$6.96 A$10.66
-8.05%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Perth
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 A$2.22
$1.37 A$2.1
5.84%
White Bread (500g)
$2.35 A$3.61
$1.44 A$2.2
63.19%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2 A$3.07
$1.19 A$1.82
68.07%
Eggs
$4.38 A$6.72
$3.14 A$4.81
39.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.74 A$13.39
$7.51 A$11.5
16.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 A$13.21
$6.07 A$9.3
42.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.88 A$21.27
$11.78 A$18.05
17.83%
Apples (1kg)
$3.56 A$5.45
$3.11 A$4.76
14.47%
Banana (1kg)
$2.98 A$4.57
$2.7 A$4.13
10.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.89 A$4.42
$3.16 A$4.84
-8.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.61 A$7.06
$4.33 A$6.64
6.47%
Potato (1kg)
$2.45 A$3.76
$1.95 A$2.98
25.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 A$2.62
$1.74 A$2.66
-1.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.94 A$2.98
$1.35 A$2.07
43.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 A$2.32
$1.13 A$1.73
34.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$32.5 A$49.79
$27.52 A$42.16
18.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.62 A$14.74
$7.24 A$11.09
32.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.75 A$5.75
$2.62 A$4.02
43.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 A$6.51
$2.15 A$3.3
97.67%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Perth
Lake Macquarie
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.07 A$4.71
$2.07 A$3.17
48.31%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$72.5 A$111
$88.9 A$136
-18.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.91 A$5.99
$1.87 A$2.86
109.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.13 A$3.26
$1.55 A$2.37
37.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$49.94 A$76.5
$46.5 A$71.2
7.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 A$1.71
$1.19 A$1.82
-6.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K A$43.7K
$24.9K A$38.2K
14.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2K A$37.1K
$20.2K A$30.9K
20.01%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Perth
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 A$243
$204 A$313
-22.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.89 A$42.73
$10.26 A$15.72
171.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.7 A$83.8
$42.08 A$64.5
29.97%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Perth
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.39 A$63.4
$49.44 A$75.7
-16.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.86 A$24.29
$15.88 A$24.33
-0.13%
Cinema Ticket
$16.29 A$24.96
$9.2 A$14.1
77.07%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Perth
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,759 A$2,695
$1,446 A$2,215
21.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12K A$18.4K
$9,951 A$15.2K
20.63%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Perth
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70 A$107
$73.4 A$112
-4.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$47.67 A$73
$33.88 A$51.9
40.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 A$159
$76.6 A$117
35.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 A$160
$132 A$202
-21.19%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Perth
Lake Macquarie
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,489 A$2,281
$1,240 A$1,900
20.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,167 A$1,788
$976 A$1,495
19.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,557 A$3,917
$2,007 A$3,074
27.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,806 A$2,767
$2,055 A$3,148
-12.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,543 A$8,492
$5,582 A$8,552
-0.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,075 A$7,774
$4,951 A$7,584
2.50%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Perth
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,778 A$5,787
$4,783 A$7,327
-21.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.42
4.35
47.59%

Citycost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Perth: October 26, 2025

Last update for Lake Macquarie: October 29, 2025

Join the CityCost newsletter โ€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.