Australia’s capital cities: Where’s it cheaper to live?
1. Rent
Many of us spend a considerable chunk of our salary on rent each month, so let’s start there, shall we?
1-bedroom Apartment in the city centre
Let’s assume you’re a single person or a couple. You want to start small and you want to live in the city. We can see that Darwin is the most affordable place to live.
| Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane | Darwin | Perth | Adelaide | Hobart | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1-bedroom Apartment in the city | 1,745.45 | 2,597.00 | 1,634.78 | 1,351.39 | 1,474.26 | 1,429.41 | 1,470.80 |
Electricity, heating, cooling, water, and garbage collection | 203.66 | 193.44 | 203.36 | 197.98 | 220.79 | 237.19 | 302.38 |
Internet (60 mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) | 70.98 | 71.96 | 79.38 | 85.57 | 73.35 | 68.44 | 82.83 |
Total | 2020.09 | 2,862.40 | 1,917.52 | 1,634.94 | 1,768.40 | $1,735.04 | $1,856.01 |
3-bedroom Apartment in the suburbs
You’re immigrating as a family, and you want a 3-bedroom apartment. Perth is the most affordable city when you settle the suburbs.
| Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane | Darwin | Perth | Adelaide | Hobart | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3-bedroom Apartment in the suburbs | 2,306.22 | 3,041.03 | 1,920.00 | 1,977.22 | 1,595.17 | 1,678.64 | 1,921.79 |
Basic utilities and Internet | 274.64 | 265.40 | 282.74 | 283.55 | 294.14 | 305.63 | 385.21 |
Total | 2,580.86 | 3,306.43 | 2,202.74 | 2,260.77 | 1,889.31 | 1,984.27 | 2,307.00 |
2. Groceries
To give you a good idea of what you’ll spend at the shops, we selected 11 items that all of us buy regularly. Your basket will cost the least in Hobart.
You might want to live on mainland Australia instead. If so, your weekly shopping is going to cost the least in Perth.
| Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane | Darwin | Perth | Adelaide | Hobart | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1L Milk | 1.56 | 1.68 | 1.79 | 1.53 | 1.67 | 1.44 | 1.41 |
Loaf of white bread | 3.06 | 2.72 | 2.72 | 2.54 | 2.79 | 2.85 | 2.57 |
12 Eggs | 4.77 | 4.79 | 4.96 | 5.75 | 4.88 | 4.65 | 5.47 |
1kg Local cheese | 11.95 | 11.20 | 9.80 | 10.33 | 10.43 | 10.34 | 10.86 |
1kg Chicken fillets | 11.28 | 11.18 | 10.63 | 11.47 | 10.48 | 10.61 | 10.50 |
1kg Beef round | 17.20 | 18.87 | 19.33 | 19.50 | 16.24 | 17.30 | 14.50 |
1kg Rice | 2.72 | 2.47 | 2.75 | 3.42 | 2.96 | 2.62 | 2.73 |
1kg Apples | 4.39 | 4.83 | 4.65 | 4.88 | 4.26 | 4.50 | 4.54 |
1kg Bananas | 3.12 | 3.29 | 3.49 | 3.85 | 3.30 | 3.45 | 3.33 |
1kg Tomatoes | 4.67 | 5.46 | 5.10 | 5.63 | 4.49 | 4.66 | 4.75 |
1kg Potatoes | 3.08 | 3.30 | 3.32 | 4.33 | 3.05 | 3.03 | 3.57 |
Total cost | 67.80 | 69.79 | 68.54 | 73.23 | 64.55 | 65.45 | 64.23 |
3. School fees
Going to public school in Australia is free, although schools can charge ‘voluntary contributions’ for some items and events.
Let’s say, however, that you choose to send your child to a private institution. In this case, Adelaide has the lowest monthly preschool fees while primary schools are least expensive in Hobart. Darwin comes in as the city with the second-most affordable primary school fees.
| Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane | Darwin | Perth | Adelaide | Hobart | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Private preschool (or Kindergarten) - Full day for one child | 2,506.15 | 2,316.68 | 1,875.33 | 2,450.00 | 1,619.76 | 1,163.22 | 2,394.44 |
International primary school annual fee for one child | 18,793.33 | 21,472.00 | 12,580.00 | 11,166.67 | 15,520.00 | 22,460.29 | 9,166.67 |
4. Getting around
To go about your daily business in Australia, you can either take public transport or buy a car.
Taking public transport
Let’s say you choose public transport. The two cities that give you the most bang for you buck are Darwin and Hobart. One-way tickets are AU$3 in Darwin and Hobart has the cheapest monthly passes.
| Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane | Darwin | Perth | Adelaide | Hobart | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1-way Ticket on local transport | 4.50 | 4.00 | 4.00 | 3.00 | 4.50 | 4.39 | 3.20 |
Monthly pass | 155.50 | 217.39 | 154.24 | 86.96 | 140.00 | 101.00 | 77.50 |
Buying a car
You’ll notice that there aren’t massive variances between new car prices across the seven capitals. The same is true for the cost of a litre of petrol, but we all know those cents add up quickly when filling up a car.
| Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane | Darwin | Perth | Adelaide | Hobart | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1L Petrol | 1.36 | 1.35 | 1.38 | 1.48 | 1.22 | 1.42 | 1.57 |
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (or equivalent new car) | 28,990.00 | 27,000.00 | 28,000.00 | 28,000.000 | 26,995.00 | 27,000.00 | 27,370.00 |
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (or equivalent new car) | 25,845.75 | 25,761.96 | 24,077.24 | 23,986.67 | 26,716.04 | 25,214.76 | 23,658.33 |
5. Going out for a meal
Enjoying a meal with friends is a favourite pastime for many of us. You get to unwind, catch up on each other’s lives, and have a good laugh or two.
Lunch at your local restaurant
Sydney is cheapest for local, laid-back restaurants and a simple meal. This is surprising as Sydney has been the most expensive city to rent in and has some of the highest grocery prices.
| Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane | Darwin | Perth | Adelaide | Hobart | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Restaurant meal at an inexpensive restaurant | 18.00 | 16.00 | 20.00 | 25.00 | 20.000 | 17.50 | 18.00 |
330ml Local beer | 10.00 | 8.00 | 8.00 | 7.75 | 9.50 | 8.00 | 8.00 |
330ml Coke | 3.22 | 3.04 | 3.52 | 3.17 | 2.99 | 3.40 | 3.25 |
Total | 31.22 | 27.04 | 31.52 | 35.92 | 32.49 | 28.90 | 29.25 |
3-course Dinner at an up-market restaurant
Sometimes we like to treat ourselves and go to a restaurant with all the trimmings. Let’s imagine it’s your birthday. You want a three-course meal with a good bottle of wine. Now Adelaide is the cheapest by far.
| Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane | Darwin | Perth | Adelaide | Hobart | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3-course Meal for two at a mid-range restaurant | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | 92.00 | 80.00 | 85.00 |
Bottle of wine | $15 | 15.00 | 15.00 | 17.00 | 15.00 | 16.50 | 17.50 |
Total | 115 | 115 | 115 | 117 | 107 | 96.50 | 102.50 |
6. Your morning coffee run
Grabbing a coffee on the way to work is such an integral part of our lives. Sydney is the most affordable city for a cappuccino and that bottle of water you grab to go with it.
| Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane | Darwin | Perth | Adelaide | Hobart | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cappuccino | 4.38 | 4.13 | 4.55 | 5.29 | 4.64 | 4.29 | 4.64 |
Bottle of water | 2.88 | 2.62 | 5.29 | 3.05 | 2.88 | 2.69 | 2.55 |
Total | 7.26 | 6.75 | 9.84 | 8.34 | 7.52 | 6.98 | 7.19 |
In conclusion
Perth offers the most affordable rent for 3-bedroom apartments in the suburbs. Perth’s weekly shopping basket is also the second cheapest and schools in Perth are some of the most affordable. This makes Perth a good choice for families.
But if you’re a young a professional, consider Darwin instead. One-bedroom apartments are the most affordable in Darwin, as is a monthly public transport pass. Getting to and from work will thus not cost you an arm and a leg.
The rest of the costs, like eating out, won’t necessarily determine where you live but it’s good to keep the overall picture in mind.
Note: All of the costs were taken from Numbeo, February 2021.
