Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Mount Isa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mount Isa: $2,629 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Mount Isa
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Mount Isa Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Mount Isa

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Mount Isa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $2,629 in Mount Isa.

Perth $3,080
Mount Isa $2,629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $3,759 in Mount Isa.

Perth $4,194
Mount Isa $3,759

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $4,890 in Mount Isa.

Perth $5,309
Mount Isa $4,890

Living in Perth is roughly 17% more expensive than in Mount Isa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Mount Isa 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.48

$19.94 A$28.33

7.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$89.2 A$127

-4.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.51

$10.28 A$14.61

6.23%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.47

$3.96 A$5.62

14.90%

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

$2.79 A$3.96

$2.91 A$4.14

-4.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.21

$2.25 A$3.20

0.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.81

$8.33 A$11.84

-0.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.15

$8.57 A$12.18

-0.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.38

$1.62 A$2.31

3.70%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.76 A$3.91

15.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.87

$2.32 A$3.30

-12.93%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.51

$5.02 A$7.13

5.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.51

$8.66 A$12.31

9.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.09

$10.60 A$15.06

-13.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.88

$14.02 A$19.93

-0.21%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.53

$3.70 A$5.26

24.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.48

$3.09 A$4.39

1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.00

$3.33 A$4.73

5.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.88

$5.14 A$7.30

-5.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.97

$2.72 A$3.86

2.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.68

$2.50 A$3.55

-24.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.13

$2.32 A$3.30

-4.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.53 A$2.17

-12.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$60.8

$43.25 A$61.5

-1.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$13.05 A$18.55

-3.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.19

$4.80 A$6.82

-9.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.78

$5.10 A$7.24

-33.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 A$3.42

$3.09 A$4.39

-22.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 A$142

$94.6 A$134

5.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.10

$3.16 A$4.49

13.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$1.64 A$2.32

-10.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.5

$44.14 A$62.7

-8.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.92

$1.37 A$1.95

-1.46%

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

$29.6K A$42.0K

$32.0K A$45.5K

-7.72%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$23.0K A$32.7K

22.12%

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

$204 A$289

$208 A$296

-2.14%

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

$33.62 A$47.77

$27.46 A$39.01

22.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.1

$56.1 A$79.7

15.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$76.7

$59.4 A$84.4

-9.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.06

$16.78 A$23.84

26.10%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.57

$11.97 A$17.01

44.44%

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

$2,300 A$3,267

$1,856 A$2,638

23.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.8K

$22.7K A$32.3K

1.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$110

$84.1 A$119

-7.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$90.6

$59.6 A$84.7

6.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$122 A$173

-0.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$235

$106 A$151

55.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,850

$1,304 A$1,852

53.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,378

$1,279 A$1,818

30.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,006

$2,545 A$3,616

10.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,064

$1,845 A$2,622

16.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$5,578 A$7,926

52.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,579

$4,767 A$6,773

26.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,002

$4,462 A$6,340

-5.34%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Mount Isa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Mount Isa

$1.3K 48.7% 23.5% $394

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

Mount Isa

$371 14.1% 1.6% $6

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

Mount Isa

$317 12.1% 6.1% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

Mount Isa

$292 11.1% 3.5% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

Mount Isa

$167 6.4% 13.1% $25

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Mount Isa

$118 4.5% 1.5% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

Mount Isa

$83 3.2% 5.9% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,006 in Perth and $1,304 in Mount Isa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mount Isa pays 6% 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 $89 in Mount Isa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $371 per month, with Perth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Mount Isa

🕒 Local time

06:07 6:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

2 h ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

17,936

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Perth Mount Isa 2,660 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Perth
Mount Isa

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 Mount Isa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mount Isa wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Perth. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mount Isa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 5% 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 $1,304 in Mount Isa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,300 in Perth versus $1,856 in Mount Isa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Perth – a meal for two runs $86 versus $89 in Mount Isa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Mount Isa 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 Mount Isa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.