Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and South Yarra

For one person, living is cheaper in South Yarra: $2,514 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
121

Cost of Living Index in South Yarra
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South Yarra Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

South Yarra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,514

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in South Yarra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $2,514 in South Yarra.

Perth $3,080
South Yarra $2,514

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $3,591 in South Yarra.

Perth $4,194
South Yarra $3,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $4,668 in South Yarra.

Perth $5,309
South Yarra $4,668

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, South Yarra 85% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.48

$17.66 A$25.10

21.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$83.6 A$119

2.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.51

$8.62 A$12.25

26.68%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.47

$3.61 A$5.13

26.04%

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

$2.79 A$3.96

$2.06 A$2.93

35.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.21

$1.76 A$2.51

28.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.81

$10.09 A$14.34

-17.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.15

$8.31 A$11.81

2.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.38

$1.57 A$2.23

7.01%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.52

$2.85 A$4.05

11.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.87

$1.42 A$2.02

42.25%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.51

$4.12 A$5.85

28.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.51

$10.72 A$15.24

-11.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.09

$6.85 A$9.74

34.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.88

$14.97 A$21.27

-6.55%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.53

$2.75 A$3.91

67.27%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.48

$2.16 A$3.06

45.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.00

$1.42 A$2.01

147.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.88

$2.83 A$4.02

71.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.97

$1.36 A$1.94

105.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.68

$2.16 A$3.07

-12.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.13

$2.38 A$3.39

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.57 A$2.23

-14.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$60.8

$31.45 A$44.68

36.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$17.97

$12.67 A$18.01

-0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.19

$5.56 A$7.90

-21.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.78

$5.21 A$7.40

-35.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 A$3.42

$2.70 A$3.84

-10.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 A$142

$85.6 A$122

16.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.10

$4.43 A$6.30

-18.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$1.39 A$1.97

5.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.5

$29.94 A$42.54

35.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.92

$1.34 A$1.90

0.75%

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

$29.6K A$42.0K

$29.9K A$42.5K

-1.24%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$25.7K A$36.5K

9.52%

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

$204 A$289

$233 A$331

-12.62%

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

$33.62 A$47.77

$28.22 A$40.10

19.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.1

$41.43 A$58.9

56.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$76.7

$55.9 A$79.5

-3.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.06

$15.24 A$21.66

38.85%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.57

$16.70 A$23.73

3.53%

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

$2,300 A$3,267

$2,427 A$3,449

-5.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.8K

$30.0K A$42.6K

-23.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$110

$80.6 A$115

-3.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$90.6

$50.0 A$71.0

27.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$172

0.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$235

$131 A$187

26.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,850

$1,415 A$2,011

41.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,378

$1,225 A$1,740

36.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,006

$2,227 A$3,164

26.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,064

$1,812 A$2,574

19.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$5,985 A$8,504

42.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,579

$4,234 A$6,016

42.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,002

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 South Yarra: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

South Yarra

$1.2K 48.7% 26.8% $449

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

South Yarra

$325 12.9% 11.2% $41

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

South Yarra

$293 11.7% 13.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

South Yarra

$303 12% 0.2% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

South Yarra

$172 6.9% 10.5% $20

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

South Yarra

$108 4.3% 10.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

South Yarra

$89 3.6% 0.9% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,006 in Perth and $1,415 in South Yarra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86 in Perth vs $84 in South Yarra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $325 per month, with South Yarra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 South Yarra

🕒 Local time

07:47 7:47 AM

10:47 10:47 AM

3 h ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

25,147

💱 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 South Yarra 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 South Yarra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Yarra is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,620 in Perth and $3,771 in South Yarra 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 $1,415 in South Yarra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Perth. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $3,080 per month in Perth versus $2,514 in South Yarra – South Yarra is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. South Yarra 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 South Yarra are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.