Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Port Douglas

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Douglas: $2,534 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Perth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

148

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Port Douglas
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Port Douglas Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Port Douglas

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,534

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Port Douglas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $2,534 in Port Douglas.

Perth $3,080
Port Douglas $2,534

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $3,674 in Port Douglas.

Perth $4,194
Port Douglas $3,674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $4,814 in Port Douglas.

Perth $5,309
Port Douglas $4,814

Living in Perth is roughly 22% more expensive than in Port Douglas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Port Douglas 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.48

$17.55 A$24.94

22.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$96.3 A$137

-11.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.51

$12.56 A$17.85

-13.06%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.47

$4.28 A$6.08

6.31%

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

$2.79 A$3.96

$3.22 A$4.57

-13.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.21

$2.78 A$3.95

-18.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.81

$6.85 A$9.74

21.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.15

$8.52 A$12.11

0.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.38

$1.93 A$2.75

-12.95%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.75 A$3.91

15.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.87

$2.51 A$3.57

-19.52%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.51

$5.34 A$7.59

-1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.51

$9.22 A$13.10

3.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.09

$13.57 A$19.28

-32.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.88

$15.36 A$21.83

-8.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.53

$4.09 A$5.82

12.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.48

$2.73 A$3.88

15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.00

$3.54 A$5.03

-0.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.88

$5.70 A$8.10

-15.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.97

$2.58 A$3.67

8.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.68

$2.59 A$3.68

-27.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.13

$2.84 A$4.03

-22.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$2.52 A$3.58

-46.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$60.8

$44.71 A$63.5

-4.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$13.80 A$19.60

-8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.19

$3.49 A$4.95

24.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.78

$5.14 A$7.30

-34.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.73 A$3.88

-11.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 A$142

$88.8 A$126

12.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.10

$2.51 A$3.57

43.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$1.99 A$2.83

-26.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.5

$42.29 A$60.1

-4.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.92

$1.24 A$1.77

8.87%

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

$29.6K A$42.0K

$29.5K A$41.9K

0.25%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$30.4K A$43.2K

-7.42%

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

$204 A$289

$161 A$228

26.83%

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

$33.62 A$47.77

$34.89 A$49.58

-3.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.1

$65.6 A$93.2

-1.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$76.7

$61.9 A$87.9

-12.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.06

$17.84 A$25.35

18.61%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.57

$13.82 A$19.64

25.11%

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

$2,300 A$3,267

$2,063 A$2,932

11.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.8K

$13.8K A$19.6K

67.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$110

$92.5 A$131

-16.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$90.6

$72.1 A$102

-11.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

$124 A$176

-2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$235

$129 A$184

27.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,850

$1,605 A$2,280

25.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,378

$1,170 A$1,662

43.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,006

$2,528 A$3,592

11.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,064

$1,650 A$2,345

30.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$6,515 A$9,257

30.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,579

$4,407 A$6,262

37.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,002

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

6.32

-5.70%

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

Last update for Perth: October 25, 2026

Last update for Port Douglas: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Port Douglas

$1.2K 46.2% 30.1% $504

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

Port Douglas

$409 16.1% 12% $44

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

Port Douglas

$305 12% 9.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

Port Douglas

$261 10.3% 13.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

Port Douglas

$188 7.4% 2.4% $4.6

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Port Douglas

$112 4.4% 6.6% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

Port Douglas

$90 3.5% 1.1% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,006 in Perth and $1,605 in Port Douglas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86 in Perth vs $96 in Port Douglas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $409 per month, with Perth cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Port Douglas

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

04:40 4:40 AM

2 h ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

3,500

💱 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

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Between locations

Perth Port Douglas 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min 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 Port Douglas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Douglas is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and transport. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,620 in Perth and $3,801 in Port Douglas to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,006 in Perth versus $1,605 in Port Douglas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Port Douglas runs roughly 11% less than in Perth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,300 in Perth versus $2,063 in Port Douglas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,534 in Port Douglas versus $3,080 in Perth, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Port Douglas but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Port Douglas the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Port Douglas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.