Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Melbourne: $2,853 a month against $3,027 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Perth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,027

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,027 in Perth versus $2,853 in Melbourne.

Perth $3,027
Melbourne $2,853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,162 in Perth versus $4,275 in Melbourne.

Perth $4,162
Melbourne $4,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,297 in Perth versus $5,697 in Melbourne.

Perth $5,297
Melbourne $5,697

Living in Perth is roughly 6% more expensive than in Melbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 123% above, Melbourne 111% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 A$30.54

$17.20 A$24.75

23.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$83.1 A$120

1.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 A$15.84

$12.43 A$17.88

-11.42%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$4.05 A$5.82

9.38%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$3.12 A$4.50

-7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$2.46 A$3.54

-8.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 A$12.14

$9.52 A$13.71

-11.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 A$11.83

$8.16 A$11.74

0.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.51

$1.56 A$2.25

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 A$4.49

$2.90 A$4.18

7.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.96

$2.66 A$3.82

-22.56%

Eggs

$5.21 A$7.50

$5.37 A$7.72

-2.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.98

$10.67 A$15.36

-15.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 A$13.43

$9.85 A$14.17

-5.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 A$19.85

$15.36 A$22.11

-10.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.60

$4.17 A$6.00

10.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.65

$3.15 A$4.53

2.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.89

$3.26 A$4.69

4.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$7.03

$4.76 A$6.85

2.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.12

$3.06 A$4.41

-6.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 A$2.72

$2.47 A$3.55

-23.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 A$3.15

$2.45 A$3.52

-10.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$2.00

$1.63 A$2.34

-14.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.45 A$61.1

$45.17 A$65.0

-6.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 A$18.31

$12.68 A$18.25

0.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.56 A$6.56

$5.69 A$8.18

-19.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 A$4.78

$5.23 A$7.53

-36.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 A$3.45

$3.87 A$5.57

-37.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 A$142

$142 A$204

-30.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$4.54 A$6.53

-22.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.42 A$2.04

2.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 A$58.2

$30.59 A$44.01

32.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.47 A$2.11

-7.48%

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

$29.6K A$42.6K

$28.9K A$41.5K

2.59%

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

$27.7K A$39.9K

$25.9K A$37.3K

6.96%

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

$205 A$295

$235 A$338

-12.67%

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

$32.82 A$47.23

$27.45 A$39.51

19.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 A$92.1

$56.1 A$80.8

14.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 A$79.4

$50.1 A$72.1

10.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.94 A$30.13

$21.49 A$30.93

-2.56%

Cinema Ticket

$17.27 A$24.85

$17.76 A$25.56

-2.76%

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

$2,320 A$3,339

$2,385 A$3,432

-2.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.9K

$29.7K A$42.7K

-22.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 A$110

$79.2 A$114

-3.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 A$90.8

$49.49 A$71.2

27.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$176

$118 A$170

3.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 A$235

$132 A$190

23.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 A$2,786

$1,763 A$2,537

9.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 A$2,337

$1,411 A$2,031

15.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 A$4,058

$3,522 A$5,069

-19.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 A$3,110

$2,525 A$3,634

-14.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,369 A$12.0K

$7,136 A$10.3K

17.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,001 A$8,635

$6,355 A$9,144

-5.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,209 A$6,056

$4,258 A$6,128

-1.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.9

1.02%

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

Last update for Perth: October 19, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.6K 53.7%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.5% 13.1% $213

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$366 12.1%

Melbourne

$388 13.6% 6.2% $23

Eating Out

Perth

$335 11.1%

Melbourne

$310 10.9% 7.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 10%

Melbourne

$319 11.2% 5.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$191 6.3%

Melbourne

$171 6% 10.7% $20

Getting Around

Perth

$119 3.9%

Melbourne

$169 5.9% 42.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$90 3%

Melbourne

$86 3% 4.6% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,936 in Perth and $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays 1% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Perth vs $83.0 in Melbourne. Groceries flip the comparison at $366 vs $388, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

08:58 8:58 AM

11:58 11:58 AM

3 h ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

5,031,195

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Perth Melbourne 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth
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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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Perth and Melbourne differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($3,027 vs $2,853 including rent). Melbourne is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1% lower in Melbourne. 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: $1,936 in Perth versus $1,763 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,320 in Perth versus $2,385 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Perth pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Melbourne 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 Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Melbourne gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.