Cost of living comparison
compared to
Melbourne vs. Perth Cost of Living Summary
Melbourne is 1.5% cheaper than Perth.
Melbourne vs. Perth Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Melbourne instead of Perth, you would:
pay 0.1% more for restaurants
|
Perth
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.19
A$28.72
|
$17.41
A$24.76
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.67
A$15.17
|
$12.27
A$17.45
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.87
A$4.08
|
$3.10
A$4.41
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.23
A$3.17
|
$2.49
A$3.54
|
|
Perth vs. Melbourne - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.0% more for groceries
|
Perth
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.14
A$4.46
|
$2.93
A$4.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.64
A$6.61
|
$5.24
A$7.46
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.56
A$9.34
|
$5.80
A$8.25
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.16
A$7.34
|
$5.48
A$7.80
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.16
A$5.91
|
$4.44
A$6.31
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.06
A$2.93
|
$1.84
A$2.62
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.44
A$2.05
|
$1.38
A$1.97
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.53
A$2.18
|
$1.44
A$2.05
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.25
A$3.20
|
$2.14
A$3.05
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.29
A$1.84
|
$1.36
A$1.94
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.87
A$1.24
|
$1.14
A$1.62
|
|
Perth vs. Melbourne - Cost of groceries
pay 13.2% more for transportation
|
Perth
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.20
A$7.39
|
$5.46
A$7.77
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$97.47
A$138.65
|
$139.25
A$198.08
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,264.76
A$38,783.45
|
$28,538.88
A$40,595.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.97
A$21.29
|
$15.56
A$22.14
|
|
Perth vs. Melbourne - Cost of transportation
pay 8.6% less for housing
|
Perth
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.36
A$90.12
|
$56.47
A$80.32
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,952.70
A$2,777.67
|
$1,726.11
A$2,455.35
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,634.39
A$2,324.87
|
$1,405.75
A$1,999.65
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$148.86
A$211.74
|
$176.73
A$251.40
|
|
Perth vs. Melbourne - Cost of housing
pay 15.6% more for childcare
|
Perth
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,297.67
A$3,268.38
|
$2,374.95
A$3,378.30
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,129.10
A$32,900.56
|
$29,879.04
A$42,502.19
|
|
Perth vs. Melbourne - Cost of childcare
pay 5.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Perth
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.35
A$11.88
|
$9.75
A$13.87
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.45
A$6.33
|
$4.02
A$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$41.77
A$59.42
|
$44.55
A$63.37
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$58.12
A$82.68
|
$50.38
A$71.66
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.41
A$24.76
|
$15.32
A$21.79
|
|
Perth vs. Melbourne - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.0% less for clothing
|
Perth
|
Melbourne
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$77.69
A$110.51
|
$80.23
A$114.12
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$65.03
A$92.50
|
$49.88
A$70.96
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$122.65
A$174.47
|
$119.33
A$169.74
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$162.50
A$231.16
|
$132.46
A$188.42
|
|
Perth vs. Melbourne - Cost of clothing
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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