Living in Perth

In Perth, unemployment is 7.1% (2026).

In March 2026, the unemployment rate was 7.1%. Its population was 2,098,239 in August 2021. Foreign-born residents accounted for 36.1% of the population in 2021.

Last checked 2026-10-0414 sources

Population2,098,239people10 Aug 2021Official source · 2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia

Median gross salary (region)2,309EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · www.abs.gov.au

Median rent963EUR/month31 Dec 2021Official source · 2021 Perth, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics

Unemployment rate7.1%country median 4.5% — 58% aboveIndependent source · DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026

PM2.5, annual mean7.41µg/m³country median 6.0 — 24% aboveOfficial source · cdn.who.int

Higher unemployment than 91% of Australian cities that publish it and dirtier air than 81% of Australian cities that publish it.

Which Australia-wide rules apply when you move to Perth?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in AustraliaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Perth.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Median rent was A$350 per week, and median monthly mortgage repayment was A$1,907 in August 2021.

What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€1257

Utilities, 85 m² flat€135

Transport pass€86

Internet, 60 Mbps€50

Fitness club€41

Mobile plan, 10 GB€29

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Fitness club membership, monthly	41.11 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹³Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	50.3 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹³Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly	1,257 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹³Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	16.05 EUR	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹³Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB	29.45 EUR/month	31 Jul 2026	Cost of Living in Perth. Jul 2026. Prices in Perth¹¹Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass	86.46 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹³Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home	134.9 EUR/month	31 Dec 2022	Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2¹³Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Dwellings	845,299 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁵Official
Main residence dwellings	773,166 dwellings	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁵Official
Median weekly rent (AUD)	350 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁵Official
Median monthly rent (whole dwelling)	963 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	2021 Perth, Census All persons QuickStats \| Australian Bureau of Statistics¹Official

Is Perth a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile

Remote worker54%strong on work, weak on safety · range 45–63%

Skilled employee61%strong on work, weak on safety · range 53–69%

Student35%strong on education, weak on safety · range 27–43%

Family52%strong on family, weak on safety · range 43–61%

Retirement55%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 44–66%

Work and income

Median personal income was A$859 per week in August 2021. Median household income was A$1,864 per week in August 2021.

What is the unemployment rate in Perth?

The unemployment rate is 7.1 % (March 2026). Source: DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026¹²

Unemployment across cities in AustraliaUnemployment in Perth is 7.1%. Of 100 cities with data, 32 have unemployment of 4 to under 5%.

1–22–33–44–55–66–77–88–99–1013–14

Perth 7.1%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
People in full-time employment	629,908 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁵Official
Employment rate	61.8 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁵Official
Median household income (AUD/week)	1,864 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁵Official
Median personal income (AUD/week)	859 AUD/week	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁵Official
Median gross salary (regional)	2,309 EUR/month	31 Dec 2021	www.abs.gov.au¹⁰Official
Average net monthly salary	3,700 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/au/perth/¹⁴Community estimate · Supplemental context
Unemployment rate	7.1 %country median 4.5%	31 Mar 2026	DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026¹²Independent

What does a salary buy in Perth?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

Left over each month€0of €0 take-home

Rent
Utilities
Transport
Internet
Mobile

Line-by-line breakdown and sources

Each month	€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions; euro amounts at the ECB average for 2026-08.	outside the model's range
Rentmedian rent of a whole dwelling · official · 2021 Perth, Census All persons QuickStats \| Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2021-12-31	− €963
Public transport pass€86 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €86
Utilities, 85 m²€135 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €135
Internet€50 · market price · Global Cost of Living · 2022-12-31	− €50
Mobile plan€29 · market price · Cost of Living in Perth. Jul 2026. Prices in Perth · 2026-07-31	− €29
Left over	—

Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Perth Salary needed to live in Perth

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Perth. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Workforce Australia — Public employment service

Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

Job Search

Open official service

Open the Australia service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Perth. Sources checked through 11 Aug 2026.

Family and education

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Public language course providers	1 count	31 Aug 2026	Official public language-service provider/location register⁷Official
People who speak a language other than English at home	21.04 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁵Official

Language courses and integration in Perth

1 exact course-location record is linked to this city. Check the linked source for dates, availability and enrolment.

Verified locally

1verified local records

1publicly funded course provider

Australian Red Cross Society

View official record

Check courses in Perth How the country programme works

Exact city-linked record checked 2026-08-10. Provider-supplied records are supplemental and are not presented as official accreditation.

Find courses near Perth

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Perth?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.4 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

PM2.5 — annual mean: 7.41 µg/m³ · cdn.who.int⁴

Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C

31°18°

32°18°

30°17°

26°14°

22°10°

20°9°

18°8°

19°8°

20°10°

23°12°

27°14°

29°16°

JFMAMJJASOND

Night-time low to daytime high

Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm

127

142

124

JFMAMJJASOND

Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours

357

309

293

244

215

179

187

220

234

297

323

360

JFMAMJJASOND

hours

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.57.4WHO 5 · EU 25

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in AustraliaAnnual PM2.5 in Perth is 7.4 µg/m³. Of 37 cities with data, 12 have annual PM2.5 of 5 to under 6 µg/m³.

3–44–55–66–77–88–99–10

Perth 7.4

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
PM2.5 — annual mean	7.41 µg/m³country median 6.0	31 Dec 2019	cdn.who.int⁴Official
Average daytime high by month	Jan 31.2 · Feb 31.6 · Mar 29.6 · Apr 25.9 · May 22.3 · Jun 19.5 · Jul 18.5 · Aug 19.1 · Sep 20.5 · Oct 23.4 · Nov 26.7 · Dec 29.4 °C	31 Dec 2020	BOM monthly climate statistics — PERTH METRO, 1991-2020³Official
Average night-time low by month	Jan 18.1 · Feb 18.4 · Mar 16.8 · Apr 13.8 · May 10.4 · Jun 8.6 · Jul 7.9 · Aug 8.3 · Sep 9.6 · Oct 11.6 · Nov 14.3 · Dec 16.4 °C	31 Dec 2020	BOM monthly climate statistics — PERTH METRO, 1991-2020³Official
Average temperature by month	Jan 24.9 · Feb 25 · Mar 23.1 · Apr 19.8 · May 16.4 · Jun 14.2 · Jul 13.3 · Aug 13.7 · Sep 14.8 · Oct 17.2 · Nov 20.2 · Dec 22.9 °C	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station PERTH AIRPORT⁹Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by month	Jan 19.1 · Feb 13.4 · Mar 19.7 · Apr 35.2 · May 87.7 · Jun 127.3 · Jul 142.3 · Aug 124.4 · Sep 82.7 · Oct 37.7 · Nov 24.2 · Dec 10.4 mm	31 Dec 2020	BOM monthly climate statistics — PERTH METRO, 1991-2020³Official
Average sunshine by month	Jan 356.7 · Feb 308.5 · Mar 293.3 · Apr 243.6 · May 214.7 · Jun 179.2 · Jul 187.2 · Aug 219.7 · Sep 233.8 · Oct 297.2 · Nov 322.9 · Dec 359.9 hours	1991–2020	WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station PERTH AIRPORT⁹Official · nearest-station reading

Population and city profile

The city covered 3,893.1 km² in 2021. Population density was 624.4 people per km² in 2025.

How many people live in Perth?

The published population was 2,098,239 people in August 2021. Source: 2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁵

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport63.9%
Foreign residents36.1%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	3,893 km²	31 Dec 2021	Official ASGS2016 SUA area from ABS ArcGIS attributes, area albers sqkm. Exact queue geography; not GCCSA or LGA.⁶Official
Foreign-resident share	40.6 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics²Official
Foreign residents	757,036 people	10 Aug 2021	Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality.⁵Official
Population density	624.4 people/km²	31 Dec 2025	Reproducible exact-ASGS2016-SUA density: ABS ERP at 30 June 2021 divided by ABS ASGS2016 SUA area. Existing local population baseline is only a recovered cross-check; no GCCSA/LGA observation.⁸Official
Female residents	1,063,528 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁵Official
Male residents	1,034,714 people	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁵Official
Population	2,098,239 people	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁵Official

Population over time25 published observations, 2001–2025

1,364,076

1,745,974

2,127,872

2,509,770

2,430,757200120052011201520212025

Population rose 68.4% between 2001 and 2025, from 1,443,089 to 2,430,757.

International community in Perth

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G09 PERSONS total across age groups and sex · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total	2,098,239	100.0%
Australia	1,245,356	59.4%
England	168,274	8.0%
Country of birth not stated	95,846	4.6%
Born elsewhere(d)	78,445	3.7%
New Zealand	58,919	2.8%
India	58,181	2.8%
South Africa	38,595	1.8%
Malaysia	31,209	1.5%
Philippines	30,737	1.5%
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)(c)	27,218	1.3%

Show 42 more groups

Published group	People	Share
Scotland	23,120	1.1%
Vietnam	17,092	0.8%
Italy	16,489	0.8%
Ireland	16,350	0.8%
Singapore	15,346	0.7%
Indonesia	13,005	0.6%
Zimbabwe	10,677	0.5%
Germany	8,960	0.4%
Myanmar	8,873	0.4%
United States of America	8,781	0.4%
Sri Lanka	8,612	0.4%
Thailand	8,340	0.4%
Pakistan	7,212	0.3%
Netherlands	7,000	0.3%
Hong Kong (SAR of China)(c)	6,247	0.3%
Iran	6,213	0.3%
Korea, Republic of (South)	6,039	0.3%
Wales	5,839	0.3%
Afghanistan	5,383	0.3%
Canada	5,253	0.3%
Poland	5,196	0.2%
Mauritius	4,975	0.2%
Japan	4,370	0.2%
Brazil	4,290	0.2%
Croatia	4,284	0.2%
Nepal	4,208	0.2%
France	3,564	0.2%
Iraq	3,531	0.2%
Taiwan	3,393	0.2%
North Macedonia	3,331	0.2%
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2,883	0.1%
Bangladesh	2,677	0.1%
Egypt	2,378	0.1%
Greece	2,015	0.1%
Chile	1,820	0.1%
Papua New Guinea	1,456	0.1%
Cambodia	1,391	0.1%
Turkey	1,381	0.1%
Lebanon	1,145	0.1%
Fiji	1,066	0.1%
Malta	761	0.0%
Samoa	487	0.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁵

Country of birth

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G01 total persons denominator · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total persons	2,098,239	100.0%
Australia	1,245,356	59.4%
Elsewhere (excludes country of birth not stated)	757,036	36.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁵

Citizenship

Persons usually resident in the ABS Significant Urban Area; 2021 Census G01 total persons denominator · 2021 Census

Published group	People	Share
Total persons	2,098,239	100.0%
Australian citizen	1,742,585	83.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁵

Additional context

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Residents born abroad	36.08 %	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁵Official
Households	773,166 households	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁵Official
Labour force participation rate	65.2 %	31 Dec 2021	Australian Bureau of Statistics⁵Official
Median age	37 years	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁵Official
Median monthly mortgage repayment (AUD)	1,907 AUD/month	10 Aug 2021	2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia⁵Official

Alternatives for people set on Perth

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Brisbane as a Perth alternative in the same country

Better on 2 of 5 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Foreign residents cannot be compared like for like.

Unemployment: 4.0% Brisbane vs 7.1% Perth−44%
Foreign residents: 32.0% Brisbane vs 40.6% Perthno percentage
A meal out: €13 Brisbane vs €16 Perth−20%
Median gross pay, region: €2,288 Brisbane vs €2,309 Perthsame level
Annual PM2.5: 7.5 µg/m³ Brisbane vs 7.4 µg/m³ Perthsame level
Basic utilities, 85 m²: €135 Brisbane vs €135 Perthsame level

Full comparison More about Brisbane

Alternative cities in Australia

Other cities in Australia to compare with Perth, nearest in population first.

All Australia cities

Brisbane2,487,568 residents Adelaide1,368,209 residents Sydney4,858,605 residents Melbourne4,874,520 residents Gold Coast701,928 residents Newcastle510,175 residents

How does Perth compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Perth's.

Open the full comparison

Perth in rankings

#1 of 30 in Most international cities in Australia #3 of 30 in Largest cities in Australia #8 of 30 in Cities with the largest foreign populations #12 of 30 in Cities with the highest foreign-population share #15 of 30 in Cities with the most published annual sunshine #17 of 30 in Largest cities in ImmigrationDB

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Perth when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide

Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Put Perth's key facts on your site — a card with this page's figures and a link back, free under CC BY 4.0.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Perth?

The published population was 2,098,239 people in August 2021. Source: 2021 Census General Community Profile — Significant Urban Areas, Australia.

Is the air quality good in Perth?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.4 µg/m³ (2019) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: cdn.who.int.

What is the unemployment rate in Perth?

The unemployment rate is 7.1 % (March 2026). Source: DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026.

What is the typical salary around Perth?

The median gross salary is 2,309 EUR/month. Source: www.abs.gov.au.

How many foreign residents live in Perth?

757,036 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality..

How much is public transport in Perth?

A monthly transport pass is 86.46 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2.

Is Perth a good place to live?

Perth may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

How many people born in Australia live in Perth?

The official country of birth distribution records 1,245,356 people (59.4%) in the source-defined population for 2021 Census. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation

ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Perth, Australia: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version f1cabe19dceb17d42211456a31defffc]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/perth/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_perth-australia-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_53666b93d163,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Perth, Australia: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {f1cabe19dceb17d42211456a31defffc},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/perth/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Perth, Australia: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/au/perth/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version f1cabe19dceb17d42211456a31defffc; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown

2021 Perth, Census All persons QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics abs.gov.au · checked 2026-10-03
Australian Bureau of Statistics abs.gov.au · checked 2026-08-03
BOM monthly climate statistics — PERTH METRO, 1991-2020 BOM monthly climate statistics · bom.gov.au · checked 2026-07-26
cdn.who.int cdn.who.int · checked 2026-08-26
Official 2021 Census GCP G01 Birthplace_Elsewhere_P: persons born outside Australia, at exact associated 2021 SUA grain. This is foreign-born, not foreign nationality. abs.gov.au · checked 2021-08-10
Official ASGS2016 SUA area from ABS ArcGIS attributes, area albers sqkm. Exact queue geography; not GCCSA or LGA. geo.abs.gov.au · checked 2016-07-01
Official public language-service provider/location register immi.homeaffairs.gov.au · checked 2026-09-15
Reproducible exact-ASGS2016-SUA density: ABS ERP at 30 June 2021 divided by ABS ASGS2016 SUA area. Existing local population baseline is only a recovered cross-check; no GCCSA/LGA observation. abs.gov.au · checked 2021-06-30
WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station PERTH AIRPORT WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
www.abs.gov.au abs.gov.au · checked 2026-08-27

Show 4 more sources

Cost of Living in Perth. Jul 2026. Prices in Perth numbeo.com · checked 2026-07-27
DEWR — Small Area Labour Markets, smoothed unemployment rate by LGA, March quarter 2026 DEWR · dewr.gov.au · checked 2026-07-26
Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27
Numbeo city cost-of-living page — /cities/au/perth/ Numbeo city cost-of-living page · de.numbeo.com · checked 2026-09-05

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.