Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Southern Cross

For one person, living is cheaper in Southern Cross: $2,532 a month against $3,053 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Southern Cross
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Southern Cross Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,053

/mo nomad

Southern Cross

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Southern Cross

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,053 in Perth versus $2,532 in Southern Cross.

Perth $3,053
Southern Cross $2,532

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,180 in Perth versus $3,583 in Southern Cross.

Perth $4,180
Southern Cross $3,583

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,307 in Perth versus $4,635 in Southern Cross.

Perth $5,307
Southern Cross $4,635

Living in Perth is roughly 21% more expensive than in Southern Cross, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Southern Cross 87% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.83 A$29.70

$19.39 A$27.64

7.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 A$122

$61.2 A$87.2

39.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 A$14.95

$10.68 A$15.22

-1.87%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.43

$3.47 A$4.95

29.97%

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

$2.85 A$4.06

$2.40 A$3.42

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 A$3.14

$1.77 A$2.53

24.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.65 A$12.33

$6.93 A$9.88

24.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.62 A$12.29

$8.36 A$11.91

3.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 A$2.52

$1.58 A$2.26

12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 A$4.58

$2.72 A$3.88

18.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 A$2.85

$2.22 A$3.17

-9.91%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.53

$2.76 A$3.94

91.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.13

$9.26 A$13.20

-0.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.11 A$12.98

$9.44 A$13.46

-3.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 A$21.14

$14.66 A$20.90

1.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 A$6.35

$3.87 A$5.52

14.99%

Banana (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.62

$3.00 A$4.27

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.89

$3.16 A$4.51

8.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 A$6.81

$4.63 A$6.61

3.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.12

$2.62 A$3.74

10.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 A$2.74

$2.44 A$3.48

-21.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 A$3.06

$2.34 A$3.33

-8.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 A$1.96

$1.55 A$2.21

-11.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.37 A$59.0

$35.49 A$50.6

16.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 A$17.62

$14.19 A$20.22

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.72 A$6.73

$4.75 A$6.77

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 A$4.75

$5.35 A$7.63

-37.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 A$3.42

$2.71 A$3.86

-11.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.9 A$141

$85.7 A$122

15.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 A$5.68

$3.56 A$5.07

11.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 A$2.16

$1.57 A$2.24

-3.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.81 A$62.5

$39.44 A$56.2

11.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 A$1.98

$1.27 A$1.81

9.45%

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

$30.3K A$43.2K

$28.9K A$41.2K

4.85%

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

$27.9K A$39.7K

$26.8K A$38.2K

3.97%

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

$199 A$284

$208 A$296

-4.01%

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

$33.29 A$47.45

$27.83 A$39.67

19.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.4 A$88.9

$57.5 A$81.9

8.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 A$75.3

$56.8 A$81.0

-7.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.62 A$29.40

$18.03 A$25.70

14.36%

Cinema Ticket

$17.70 A$25.23

$14.09 A$20.08

25.62%

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

$2,249 A$3,206

$2,165 A$3,087

3.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.9K A$46.9K

$20.6K A$29.4K

59.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 A$113

$76.2 A$109

3.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.4 A$91.9

$55.4 A$79.0

16.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$174

$109 A$155

11.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 A$226

$122 A$174

29.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 A$2,881

$1,377 A$1,964

46.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 A$2,364

$1,227 A$1,749

35.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 A$3,997

$2,255 A$3,215

24.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,174 A$3,099

$1,829 A$2,608

18.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,368 A$11.9K

$5,968 A$8,508

40.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,211 A$8,855

$4,897 A$6,981

26.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,169 A$5,943

$7,095 A$10.1K

-41.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

6.25

-5.60%

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

Last update for Perth: November 2, 2026

Last update for Southern Cross: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Southern Cross

$1.2K 48.5% 26% $431

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$368 12.1%

Southern Cross

$359 14.2% 2.7% $9.9

Eating Out

Perth

$333 10.9%

Southern Cross

$297 11.7% 10.8% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$295 9.7%

Southern Cross

$293 11.6% 0.7% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$191 6.2%

Southern Cross

$163 6.4% 14.4% $27

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Southern Cross

$108 4.3% 10% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$88 2.9%

Southern Cross

$85 3.4% 3.7% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,021 in Perth and $1,377 in Southern Cross. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Southern Cross pays 70% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85 in Perth vs $61 in Southern Cross for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $359 per month, with Southern Cross cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Southern Cross

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

Same time as Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

700

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Perth Southern Cross 340 km

From you

Perth
Southern Cross

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 Southern Cross: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Southern Cross is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 41% 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: $2,021 in Perth versus $1,377 in Southern Cross. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Southern Cross runs roughly 13% less than in Perth. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,249 in Perth versus $2,165 in Southern Cross. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,532 in Southern Cross versus $3,053 in Perth, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Southern Cross but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Southern Cross 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 Southern Cross are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.