Rent is the biggest cost for most Perth households, followed by electricity, water, transport and, for families with young children, childcare. The Perth-wide median weekly rent was $750 for a house and $700 for a unit in the September 2026 quarter. Rents are at record highs, and the vacancy rate is 1.7%. Public transport fares are low by comparison. The Western Australian Government sets electricity prices, and the federal Child Care Subsidy (CCS) covers a large share of childcare fees for most families.
Below, costs are set out by area and category, then combined into sample renter budgets. Rents, fares, tariffs and subsidy settings change on set dates each year, so each figure is dated and points to the body that publishes the current number.
Rent across Perth
Perth-wide medians
REIWA (the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia) reported a median weekly house rent of $750 and a median unit rent of $700 for the September 2026 quarter. Both were unchanged over the quarter. Since December 2025 the median house rent has risen 7.1% and the median unit rent 2.9%.
The vacancy rate was 1.7% at the end of September 2026. Fewer than 2,000 properties were recently listed for rent, and homes leased in a median of two weeks. REIWA described rental affordability as at a record low and said rents could rise 5% to 10% over the calendar year. A renter arriving in Perth should expect to apply for several properties and have documents ready before inspections. They should also budget for the higher end of any advertised range.
A separate snapshot of 12-month medians to August 2026 put the Perth-wide house median at $750 (up 7.1% year on year), the unit median at $700 (up 7.7%) and the all-dwellings median at $725. It counted 2,023 properties listed for rent in the week ending 6 September 2026, which was 8.5% fewer than the same week in 2025.
Inner, middle and outer Perth
REIWA divides the metropolitan area into Perth Inner, Perth Middle and Perth Outer. In the June 2026 quarter, using the Real Estate Institute of Australia’s three-bedroom house and two-bedroom "other dwelling" (unit, apartment or townhouse) measures, the weekly medians were:
| Dwelling type | Perth-wide | Perth Inner | Perth Middle | Perth Outer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three-bedroom house | $720 | $900 | $800 | $700 |
| Two-bedroom other dwelling | $700 | $750 | $700 | $610 |
The three-bedroom house median rose 2.9% over the June quarter and was 9.1% higher than a year earlier. The two-bedroom other dwelling median was stable over the quarter and 7.7% higher than a year earlier. Three-bedroom house rents to June 2026 rose fastest over the year in the outer region at 7.7%, followed by the middle region at 6.7% and the inner region at 5.9%, so the gap between inner and outer rents is narrowing slowly.
The tradeoff is cost against commuting time. Moving from inner to outer Perth saves a meaningful amount each week on a three-bedroom house, but the saving has to cover the extra travel time and transport cost of a longer commute. For a unit, the inner-to-outer difference is smaller.
These June figures and the September figures above use different measures (three-bedroom houses versus all houses), so compare each series only with itself.
Lower-rent suburbs
REIWA’s analysis for the three months to April 2026 put the Greater Perth median weekly house rent at $730. The lowest-rent suburbs, counting only those with at least 20 house leases in the period, were mostly in the Peel region to the south and the outer southern and northern corridors:
| Suburb | Median weekly house rent |
|---|---|
| Mandurah | $540 |
| Dudley Park | $560 |
| South Yunderup | $590 |
| Parmelia | $593 |
| Falcon | $600 |
| Armadale | $615 |
| Camillo | $615 |
| Two Rocks | $620 |
| Dawesville | $630 |
| Rockingham | $630 |
A suburb median is a midpoint, so half of the houses in any suburb lease for less, and size, condition, location and features all move the price. Mandurah at $540 and Rockingham at $630 sit well below the Greater Perth median, but they are a substantial drive or train trip from the central business district, which matters for anyone commuting five days a week.
Higher-rent suburbs
At the other end, 12-month house medians to August 2026 include Floreat at $1,400 a week, Subiaco at $1,100, Hillarys and Karrinyup at $1,000 each, Wembley at $950 and Scarborough at $895. Several of these are coastal or close to the city, and all sit above the $750 Perth-wide house median.
Rent rises are uneven. REIWA’s review of 2025 found East Fremantle had the largest house rent increase, up 29.4% to $1,100 a week, and Beckenham had the largest unit increase, up 18.2% to $650 a week. A suburb that looks affordable on last year’s data can move quickly, so check recent listings before settling on a budget.
Groceries and food prices
Food prices in Perth are rising at a moderate pace. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) measures annual change in food and non-alcoholic beverages for Perth at 3.2% in December 2025, 2.9% in March 2026 and a similar pace in the 12 months to August 2026.
In the August 2026 data, the eight-city average for food was 3.0%. Hobart was highest at 3.6%, followed by Brisbane, then Sydney at 3.1%, Darwin at 2.8%, Melbourne at 2.7%, Adelaide at 2.6% and Canberra at 2.4%. Perth sits at the upper end of that range but close to the other mainland capitals.
Nationally, food was one of the three largest contributors to annual inflation in the 12 months to June 2026, alongside Housing (up 6.8%) and Recreation and culture. Food carries a weight of 17.4% in the national CPI basket, which shows how much of a typical household budget it takes.
The category trends in the ABS releases show where price pressure has come from. In the year to the September quarter 2025, fruit and vegetables rose 2.2%, slowing from 8.6% a year earlier, while coffee, tea and cocoa rose 14.6%. In the year to the March quarter 2025, meat and seafood rose 4.3%, the largest annual increase since the December 2022 quarter. The ABS notes that annual food inflation has stayed around 3% for six quarters, so a household can plan for a grocery bill that climbs by roughly that amount each year. Because the figures measure price change, a household’s own shopping receipts remain the best guide to the actual dollar total.
Public transport fares and SmartRider
Transperth runs buses, trains and ferries on a section-based fare system. The fares effective 1 January 2026 are GST inclusive:
| Ticket | Cash | SmartRider (10% off) | SmartRider (20% off, with Autoload) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sections | $2.40 | $2.16 | $1.92 |
| Go Anywhere | $3.50 | $3.15 | $2.80 |
| DayRider | $7.00 | Capped at DayRider rate | Capped at DayRider rate |
A 2 Sections ticket covers a trip of up to 3.2 km on one bus, train or ferry. A longer trip needs another ticket. Go Anywhere gives unlimited travel across the network within three hours, and SmartRider and contactless fares are capped at that rate. A DayRider gives unlimited travel on the day of purchase. FamilyRider is a cash ticket for a group of up to seven people with at most two full-fare payers. It is available at set times.
SmartRider is the prepaid card that gives the discounts. The 10% discount applies to a standard card, and the 20% discount requires SmartRider Autoload, which tops up the card automatically. Bus drivers do not accept cash or give change, and Transperth asks passengers not to add value on the bus, so a new arrival should buy a SmartRider early.
Concession and free travel
The concession fares are $1.10 for 2 Sections ($0.99 with the 10% SmartRider discount, $0.88 with 20%), $1.60 for Go Anywhere ($1.44 with 10%, $1.28 with 20%) and $3.20 for a DayRider. Concession fares do not apply to contactless payment, which is charged at the standard cash rate.
Several groups travel free or cheaply:
- Sundays: Under Every Sunday Free, SmartRider and contactless users travel free every Sunday on all bus, train and ferry services from first to last service. The offer excludes late-night services after midnight on Saturday, and the SmartRider card must not have a negative balance.
- Young children: Children aged four and under travel free without proof.
- School students: Student SmartRider holders in primary and secondary school travel free Monday to Friday during the school year, with concession fares on weekends and in the summer school holidays.
- Tertiary students: University and TAFE students need a Tertiary SmartRider and receive concession fares.
- Companion Card holders: The cardholder and up to two companions travel free, provided the cardholder has a valid ticket.
Households without a car, or with one car instead of two, save a large amount on running costs. Free Sunday travel also lowers the cost of weekend outings to Fremantle or other destinations on the network.
Electricity, gas and water
Electricity
Households in Perth and the rest of the south-west interconnected system buy electricity from Synergy, and Horizon Power supplies customers outside that network. The State Government sets Synergy’s regulated residential tariff, the Home Plan (A1), each year, with changes taking effect from 1 July. By law Synergy is the only seller to residential customers who do not use large amounts of electricity, so a Perth household cannot switch retailer for a better price.
On 1 July 2025 the A1 unit rate and the daily supply charge each rose by 2.50%. The 2025–26 rates include GST and are:
- Supply charge: 116.0505 cents per day, up from 113.2200.
- Usage: 32.3719 cents per kWh, up from 31.5823.
Check Synergy’s website for the tariff in force after each 1 July change. Synergy also prices, sells and markets gas to households in Western Australia.
Water and sewerage
Water Corporation sets the water charges. From 1 July 2026, Perth metro water use and water service charges rose 2.75%. Water service charges cover water, sewerage and drainage.
Sewerage and drainage charges are calculated from Gross Rental Value, a property valuation set by Landgate, so they track the value of the property rather than how much water the household uses. A revaluation can lift the charges. From 1 July 2026, sewerage increases are capped at 12.75% and drainage increases at $25. Properties already at the maximum annual sewerage charge of $1,383.42 for 2025–26 saw a 2.75% rise. Renters generally see these charges only if their lease passes water usage costs on, which makes it worth asking at the application stage who pays what.
Childcare subsidy and fees
The Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is a federal payment made to the childcare provider that reduces the fee a family pays. The subsidy is calculated on an hourly rate cap, which is the maximum hourly fee the subsidy applies to. The Department of Education lists the 2025–26 caps, which took effect on 7 July 2025 and are adjusted annually by CPI:
| Service type | Hourly rate cap |
|---|---|
| Centre-based day care, below school age | $14.63 |
| Centre-based day care, school age | $12.81 |
| Outside school hours care, below school age | $14.63 |
| Outside school hours care, school age | $12.81 |
| Family day care (both age bands) | $13.56 |
| In-home care | $39.80 per hour per family |
The subsidy percentage depends on family income. Families earning up to $85,279 receive 90%. Above that, the subsidy falls by 1% for every $5,000 of income, and it reaches 0% at $535,279 or more.
Hours of subsidised care also changed. From 5 January 2026, Services Australia replaced the activity test, and eligible families can access at least 72 hours of subsidised care per fortnight. Families where both partners each do more than 48 hours of recognised participation per fortnight can access up to 100 hours per fortnight.
Provider guidance on the 2026–27 settings reports that from 6 July 2026 families earning up to $88,520 can receive 90%, the income ceiling rises to $538,520 and the centre-based day care cap for children below school age rises to $15.19 per hour. Families with more than one child aged five or under may receive up to 95% in some circumstances. Confirm current settings and your own percentage with Services Australia before choosing a centre, since centre fees above the cap come out of the family’s pocket in full.
Sample budgets
The figures below are arithmetic on the rents, fares and tariffs above. Food, phone, insurance, health and discretionary spending vary too much between households to price here, so add your own figures for those.
Renting a three-bedroom house
At the Perth-wide June 2026 median of $720 a week, rent comes to $37,440 a year. At the September 2026 house median of $750 a week it comes to $39,000 a year. The regional medians in the table above give a wider spread, from $700 a week in Perth Outer to $900 a week in Perth Inner.
Renting a two-bedroom unit
A two-bedroom other dwelling at $610 a week in Perth Outer is cheaper than one at $750 a week in Perth Inner, so a couple or single renter who accepts a unit in the outer region spends noticeably less on rent than an inner-region tenant.
Transport and electricity
A commuter making 10 Go Anywhere trips a week on a SmartRider with Autoload pays $2.80 a trip, which is $28 a week or $1,456 a year. Free Sunday travel lowers that figure further for anyone who travels at weekends.
For electricity, an illustrative household using 15 kWh a day at the 2025–26 A1 rates pays $4.86 for usage and $1.16 for supply, about $6.02 a day or roughly $2,196 a year. Actual use varies with household size, appliances and air conditioning.
Putting the fixed costs together
For a single commuter renting a three-bedroom house at the Perth-wide June median of $720 a week, the main fixed costs are rent, 10 weekly SmartRider trips and the illustrative electricity bill. Water, food and other spending come on top. At the September house median of $750 a week, the same three items cost more. Food then adds roughly 3% a year to whatever the household already spends on groceries, and families with young children add childcare fees net of the CCS.
Inflation in Perth
Perth’s all-groups CPI index was 103.89 in August 2026, up 4.3% from August 2025. The reference base is September 2025 equal to 100.0. National headline CPI, which combines the eight capital cities, rose 4.0% in the 12 months to August 2026, up from 3.5% in July 2026. Trimmed mean inflation (a measure that strips out the largest price swings) was 3.6%, according to the ABS. The Perth figure of 4.3% is above the national figure, so the prices a Perth household faces are rising slightly faster than the capital-city average.
Key takeaways
- Budget for rent first: The Perth-wide median rent is $750 a week for a house and $700 for a unit. The vacancy rate is 1.7%, and REIWA expects rents to rise 5% to 10% over the calendar year.
- Choose the area to set the price: A three-bedroom house had a median of $900 a week in Perth Inner, $800 in Perth Middle and $700 in Perth Outer in the June 2026 quarter, and suburbs such as Mandurah ($540) and Rockingham ($630) sit well below the Greater Perth median.
- Buy a SmartRider with Autoload: It cuts a Go Anywhere fare from $3.50 cash to $2.80, and SmartRider and contactless users travel free on Sundays on all Transperth services.
- Plan for annual utility increases: Synergy’s regulated A1 tariff is reset each 1 July. Water Corporation charges rose 2.75% from 1 July 2026, and sewerage charges are tied to property value.
- Check your Child Care Subsidy percentage: Families earning up to $85,279 receive 90% in 2025–26, and the rate falls 1% for each $5,000 above that. From 5 January 2026, eligible families have at least 72 hours of subsidised care a fortnight.