Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Townsville and Perth

For one person, living is cheaper in Townsville: $2,606 a month against $3,053 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Perth outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

125

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index

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Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,606

/mo nomad

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,053

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Townsville and in Perth

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Townsville and in Perth actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,606 in Townsville versus $3,053 in Perth.

Townsville $2,606
Perth $3,053

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,842 in Townsville versus $4,180 in Perth.

Townsville $3,842
Perth $4,180

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,078 in Townsville versus $5,307 in Perth.

Townsville $5,078
Perth $5,307

Living in Townsville costs roughly 15% less than in Perth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.82 A$32.53

$20.83 A$29.70

9.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.4 A$100

$85.3 A$122

-17.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.16 A$17.33

$10.48 A$14.95

16.03%

Cappuccino

$3.58 A$5.11

$4.51 A$6.43

-20.62%

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

$2.64 A$3.76

$2.85 A$4.06

-7.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 A$3.52

$2.20 A$3.14

12.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.53 A$12.16

$8.65 A$12.33

-1.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.27

$8.62 A$12.29

-16.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 A$2.53

$1.77 A$2.52

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 A$3.23

$3.21 A$4.58

-29.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 A$1.94

$2.00 A$2.85

-32.00%

Eggs

$5.23 A$7.45

$5.28 A$7.53

-0.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 A$11.63

$9.21 A$13.13

-11.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 A$14.10

$9.11 A$12.98

8.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 A$19.07

$14.83 A$21.14

-9.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 A$5.89

$4.45 A$6.35

-7.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.70 A$3.85

$3.24 A$4.62

-16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 A$5.10

$3.43 A$4.89

4.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 A$6.12

$4.78 A$6.81

-10.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.77

$2.89 A$4.12

-8.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.07

$1.92 A$2.74

48.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 A$3.28

$2.14 A$3.06

7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 A$4.65

$1.37 A$1.96

137.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.58 A$43.60

$41.37 A$59.0

-26.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 A$15.26

$12.36 A$17.62

-13.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.93 A$9.88

$4.72 A$6.73

46.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.54 A$12.18

$3.34 A$4.75

155.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 A$3.01

$2.40 A$3.42

-12.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 A$78.7

$98.9 A$141

-44.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 A$3.74

$3.98 A$5.68

-34.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 A$2.91

$1.51 A$2.16

35.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.02 A$62.8

$43.81 A$62.5

0.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.76

$1.39 A$1.98

-10.79%

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

$28.1K A$40.1K

$30.3K A$43.2K

-7.18%

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

$27.8K A$39.7K

$27.9K A$39.7K

-0.10%

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

$383 A$546

$199 A$284

91.90%

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

$36.42 A$51.9

$33.29 A$47.45

9.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 A$94.1

$62.4 A$88.9

5.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$78.9

$52.8 A$75.3

4.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.73 A$28.12

$20.62 A$29.40

-4.32%

Cinema Ticket

$15.23 A$21.72

$17.70 A$25.23

-13.95%

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

$2,084 A$2,971

$2,249 A$3,206

-7.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K A$17.5K

$32.9K A$46.9K

-62.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.5 A$132

$79.2 A$113

16.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.1 A$100.0

$64.4 A$91.9

8.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 A$233

$122 A$174

34.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$158 A$226

-16.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,286 A$1,833

$2,021 A$2,881

-36.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 A$1,461

$1,658 A$2,364

-38.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 A$3,297

$2,804 A$3,997

-17.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,845 A$2,631

$2,174 A$3,099

-15.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,976 A$7,094

$8,368 A$11.9K

-40.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,112 A$5,863

$6,211 A$8,855

-33.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,066 A$5,797

$4,169 A$5,943

-2.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.68

5.9

-3.73%

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

Last update for Townsville: November 3, 2026

Last update for Perth: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Townsville

$1K 39.3%

Perth

$1.7K 54.3% 61.8% $633

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Townsville

$485 18.6%

Perth

$295 9.7% 39.2% $190

Groceries & Markets

Townsville

$389 14.9%

Perth

$368 12.1% 5.2% $20

Eating Out

Townsville

$340 13%

Perth

$333 10.9% 1.9% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Townsville

$206 7.9%

Perth

$191 6.2% 7.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Townsville

$86 3.3%

Perth

$88 2.9% 2.8% $2.4

Getting Around

Townsville

$77 2.9%

Perth

$120 3.9% 56.9% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,286 in Townsville and $2,021 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $70 in Townsville vs $85 in Perth. Groceries flip the comparison at $389 vs $368, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Townsville

🇦🇺 Perth

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

12:07 12:07 PM

2 h behind Townsville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

173,724

2,043,762

💱 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

Townsville Perth 3,390 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Townsville
Perth

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

Townsville vs Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Townsville is about 15% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,910 in Townsville and $4,580 in Perth 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: $1,286 in Townsville versus $2,021 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Townsville runs roughly 44% less than in Perth. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $2,084 in Townsville versus $2,249 in Perth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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