Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Toowoomba

For one person, living is cheaper in Toowoomba: $2,131 a month against $3,080 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Toowoomba
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Toowoomba Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,080

/mo nomad

Toowoomba

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Perth and in Toowoomba

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,080 in Perth versus $2,131 in Toowoomba.

Perth $3,080
Toowoomba $2,131

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,194 in Perth versus $2,950 in Toowoomba.

Perth $4,194
Toowoomba $2,950

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Perth versus $3,769 in Toowoomba.

Perth $5,309
Toowoomba $3,769

Living in Perth is roughly 45% more expensive than in Toowoomba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Perth 126% above, Toowoomba 57% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.45 A$30.63

$16.65 A$23.78

28.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 A$122

$72.4 A$103

18.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.92 A$15.59

$9.54 A$13.62

14.47%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.50

$3.73 A$5.33

21.98%

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

$2.79 A$3.98

$2.82 A$4.03

-1.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.23

$2.46 A$3.51

-8.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.87

$6.53 A$9.33

27.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.22

$7.21 A$10.30

18.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 A$2.40

$1.51 A$2.15

11.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 A$4.54

$2.26 A$3.22

40.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.89

$1.98 A$2.82

2.02%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.55

$4.71 A$6.73

12.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.51 A$13.58

$8.94 A$12.77

6.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.15

$8.99 A$12.84

2.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 A$19.99

$11.88 A$16.96

17.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.60 A$6.57

$3.10 A$4.42

48.39%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.50

$1.77 A$2.53

77.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 A$5.03

$1.39 A$1.98

153.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 A$6.92

$2.15 A$3.08

125.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 A$3.99

$2.51 A$3.59

11.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.69

$2.24 A$3.19

-16.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 A$3.15

$2.42 A$3.46

-8.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.91

$1.03 A$1.47

30.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$61.1

$35.11 A$50.1

21.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.65 A$18.06

$14.25 A$20.35

-11.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.22

$4.68 A$6.69

-7.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 A$4.81

$6.81 A$9.73

-50.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.41 A$3.44

$3.05 A$4.35

-20.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.6 A$142

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 A$5.12

$2.21 A$3.16

62.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.08

$1.60 A$2.28

-8.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.46 A$57.8

$35.25 A$50.3

14.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.36 A$1.94

-0.74%

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

$29.6K A$42.2K

$28.9K A$41.2K

2.44%

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

$28.1K A$40.2K

$23.3K A$33.2K

20.89%

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

$204 A$291

$77.3 A$110

163.26%

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

$33.62 A$48.01

$31.09 A$44.40

8.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 A$92.6

$54.6 A$77.9

18.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.0 A$77.1

$42.30 A$60.4

27.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.16 A$30.21

$17.86 A$25.51

18.48%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.69

$13.09 A$18.69

32.09%

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

$2,300 A$3,284

$2,103 A$3,003

9.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$33.0K

$7,119 A$10.2K

224.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.5 A$111

$76.2 A$109

1.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.7 A$91.0

$53.8 A$76.9

18.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$173

$76.5 A$109

58.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 A$237

$120 A$172

37.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,006 A$2,864

$1,221 A$1,743

64.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,390

$1,141 A$1,630

46.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,819 A$4,026

$1,622 A$2,316

73.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,079

$1,428 A$2,039

51.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,504 A$12.1K

$3,367 A$4,808

152.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,037 A$8,622

$2,742 A$3,915

120.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,224 A$6,032

$3,874 A$5,532

9.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.69

4.75%

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

Last update for Perth: October 25, 2026

Last update for Toowoomba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.7K 54.3%

Toowoomba

$1.1K 53.6% 31.8% $532

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$365 11.9%

Toowoomba

$314 14.7% 14.1% $51

Eating Out

Perth

$338 11%

Toowoomba

$275 12.9% 18.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 9.8%

Toowoomba

$163 7.7% 46% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$193 6.3%

Toowoomba

$147 6.9% 23.6% $45

Getting Around

Perth

$120 3.9%

Toowoomba

$22 * 1.1% 81.4% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$89 2.9%

Toowoomba

$68 3.2% 22.7% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,006 in Perth and $1,221 in Toowoomba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $86 in Perth vs $72 in Toowoomba for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $314 per month, with Toowoomba cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇦🇺 Toowoomba

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

10:34 10:34 AM

2 h ahead of Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

108,398

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Perth Toowoomba 3,500 km ≈ 5 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 Toowoomba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toowoomba is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Perth, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,006 in Perth versus $1,221 in Toowoomba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% 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 $2,131 in Toowoomba – Toowoomba is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $2,131 in Toowoomba versus $3,080 in Perth, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Toowoomba but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Toowoomba 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 Toowoomba are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Toowoomba wins on affordability, Perth on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.