How much does it cost to live in Perth?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$3,215 (A$4,511)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: numbeo.com, nestpick.com
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $1,573 (A$2,207)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $4,555 (A$6,391)
- Furnished 1-bed rent
- $2,067 (A$2,900)
Northbridge / Perth CBD
Good to know
Good to Know
- Perth is consistently cheaper to live in than Sydney or Melbourne on Australia's main cost-of-living comparisons, though the gap is narrower than it used to be.
- Locals describe rent as having risen sharply since the pandemic, with long-time residents noting prices that were far lower before COVID; expect competitive conditions and limited short-term furnished stock in popular inner suburbs.
- Subiaco, Northbridge, and Fremantle are the inner areas most commonly recommended for apartment living close to the city, each with a different character (Subiaco stylish/cosmopolitan, Northbridge nightlife-adjacent, Fremantle historic and popular with European/NZ expats).
- Perth has real competition between supermarket chains (mainly Woolworths and Coles, plus IGA and some independents), and locals say shopping around across stores can meaningfully cut grocery bills.
- Housing figures here are researched estimates rather than confirmed live listings — treat them as a planning ballpark and always check current listings on realestate.com.au or Flatmates.com.au before booking, since Perth's rental market has been moving quickly.
- Perth's public transport fares were dramatically simplified and cut on 1 January 2026 with the new 'Go Anywhere Fare' — a flat rate regardless of distance or zone, replacing the old zone-based system.
- There's no prepaid monthly transit pass in Perth — instead, using a SmartRider card with Autoload gives you the lowest per-trip fare and automatic fare capping, which functions similarly to a pass over a billing period.
- Perth's coworking scene clusters around the CBD, West Perth, Subiaco, Leederville and East Perth — these neighborhoods also have the best café/transport access for remote workers.
- Most Western passport holders can enter Australia visa-free-equivalent via the free eVisitor or ETA e-visas for stays up to 3 months, but neither grants work rights and Australia has no dedicated digital nomad visa — plan ahead if you want to stay longer than 3 months continuously.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- A$4,511
Includes 6 estimated components
- Lean month
- A$2,207
Includes 4 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- A$6,391
Includes 7 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- No single dominant 'digital nomad hub' is documented for Perth, but expat/relocation-rental guidance consistently points to three inner areas: Subiaco, Northbridge, and Fremantle, plus nearby Mount Lawley/Leederville for share-house living. Housing figures below are priced for Northbridge/CBD-adjacent furnished short-term stays, with the private room proxy drawn from typical inner-suburb share housing (Mount Lawley/Leederville/Victoria Park).
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- A$2,900
Estimated
Estimated mid-tier furnished monthly rate for a 1-bedroom apartment in Northbridge/CBD based on aparthotel and serviced-apartment positioning found via search (e.g. Northbridge aparthotel product), not a single confirmed dollar listing.
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- A$2,200
Estimated
Estimated from general Perth furnished short-term studio/1BR market positioning outside the immediate CBD core (e.g. East Perth, Victoria Park); no single live listing page with this exact figure was retrieved at the time of research.
- Premium apartment
- A$4,300
Estimated
Estimated premium tier for a furnished 1-2 bedroom apartment near Elizabeth Quay/CBD waterfront with amenities (pool, gym); derived from general market positioning of premium serviced apartments, not a single confirmed listing.
- Private room in a shared home
- A$1,400
Estimated
No live share-house listing portal was retrieved at the time of research. Estimate based on typical inner-Perth (Mount Lawley/Leederville/Victoria Park) private-room-in-shared-house asking rents, which commonly run roughly AUD 280-380/week; midpoint used.
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- A$500
Estimated
Estimated based on general knowledge of Australian mid-range supermarket (Woolworths/Coles) pricing for one person cooking most meals at home; a Numbeo user comment on the Perth page notes groceries are notably expensive at these chains.
Sample prices
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- A$2.10
Estimated
General knowledge of current Australian supermarket pricing; no single retrieved listing confirms this exact figure at the time of research.
Loaf of White Bread (500g)
- Loaf Of White Bread (500g)
- A$4.50
Estimated
Estimated from general Australian supermarket pricing knowledge.
Dozen Eggs
- Dozen Eggs
- A$7.00
Estimated
Estimated from general Australian supermarket pricing knowledge.
1kg Chicken Breast
- 1kg Chicken Breast
- A$13
Estimated
Estimated from general Australian supermarket pricing knowledge.
1.5L Bottled Water (Supermarket)
- 1.5L Bottled Water (Supermarket)
- A$2.50
Estimated
Store-bought bottled water price, estimated from general Australian supermarket pricing knowledge; distinct from restaurant water pricing.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- A$19
Estimated
A reader comment on Numbeo's Perth cost-of-living page states cheap restaurants run '$20-30 per person'; $25 is the midpoint of that range, so recorded as estimated rather than a single stated figure. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 25 AUD reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- A$120
Estimated
No specific high-end Perth pricing was retrieved at the time of research; figure is a general estimate for a multi-course fine-dining meal with a glass of wine per person in an Australian capital city.
- Mid-range meal
- A$47
Estimated
The same Numbeo Perth page reader comment states 'decent ones are $50-75' per person; $62 is the midpoint, so recorded as estimated rather than a single stated figure. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 62 AUD reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
Transport
- About monthly passes
- Transperth has no traditional unlimited monthly pass. As of 1 January 2026 the network moved to a flat 'Go Anywhere Fare' (single trip pricing below) with automatic fare capping via a SmartRider card on Autoload rather than a prepaid monthly product.
- Single ride
- A$2.80
Survey / cost-of-living site
Transit-industry news site reporting the WA government's new fare structure: 'travel anywhere on the network for as little as $2.80 per trip when using a SmartRider with Autoload'; $3.50 with card/contactless.
Mobile & data
- Monthly plan
- A$45
Estimated
Estimated from general familiarity with mid-tier Australian prepaid SIM plans (Telstra/Optus/Vodafone-affiliated resellers) offering roughly 30-40GB; not independently verified via a live carrier page at the time of research.
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Australian school holidays (December–February and July–August) combined with spring wildflower season (September–November) create material pricing swings. November peaks at ~$337/night, while winter drops to ~$154/night—a 120% variance far exceeding 30% threshold. Multi-week festivals (Perth Festival in Feb–Mar, Sculpture by the Sea in Mar) amplify summer demand.
Low season
- Budget
- A$58
Budget hotel low-season pricing from BudgetYourTrip (June–August)
- Luxury
- A$200
5-star hotel low-season estimate (June–August range from multiple sources)
- Premium
- A$120
4-star hotel low-season average from Booking.com
- Standard
- A$83
3-star hotel low-season from KAYAK (June–August)
High season
- Budget
- A$108
Budget hotel high-season pricing from BudgetYourTrip and KAYAK aggregates
- Luxury
- A$328
5-star hotel weekend rate from Booking.com (high-season peak)
- Premium
- A$280
4-star hotel range from Booking.com pricing data
- Standard
- A$189
Top-rated 3-star hotel high-season average from BudgetYourTrip
Low-season months
- June
- July
- August
High-season months
- November
- December
- January
- February
- March
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Perth
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.