Cost of living in Perth
Western Australia's capital. Mining-linked wage premiums but a tighter rental market since the start of the post-2020 commodities cycle.
The numbers
| Item | AUD | Period | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median unit rent | $600 | weekly | $31,200 |
| Median house rent | $670 | weekly | $34,840 |
| Weekly groceries (one person) | $155 | weekly | $8,060 |
| Public transport | $180 | monthly | $2,160 |
| Utilities | $250 | monthly | $3,000 |
| Essential outlay (unit rent baseline) | - | $44,420 | |
Check your budget in Perth
The graduate budget calculator applies the 50/30/20 framework to your take-home weekly wage. Pick Perth from the dropdown to see whether the $600 median weekly unit rent fits the 50 percent needs envelope on a graduate salary.
Careers that can comfortably afford median unit rent here
We define "comfortable" as weekly take-home pay at least twice the median unit rent in Perth. Take-home pay is estimated with the 2024-25 ATO resident tax scale, the 2% Medicare levy and HECS-HELP compulsory repayment.
$1850/week before tax
$2750/week before tax
$2500/week before tax
$1800/week before tax
$1950/week before tax
$2000/week before tax
$3000/week before tax
$1900/week before tax
$2200/week before tax
$1850/week before tax
$1700/week before tax
$1700/week before tax
$1700/week before tax
$2500/week before tax
$1900/week before tax
$2200/week before tax
$2500/week before tax
$1700/week before tax