Cost of living is more expensive in Perth than Sydney

IT MIGHT have cheaper housing, but if you want to eat in this Australian city be prepared to pay more.

BUYING a house in Perth might be more affordable than Sydney but if you fancy a bit of Maccas, well you’re better off buying it in the latter.

In fact buying any sort of food whether groceries, takeaway or dining at a mid-range restaurant is more expensive in Perth than any other capital city in Australia except Darwin.

Cost of living website Numbeo, which collates prices of goods and services from hundreds of cities, has released its midyear update and found cars and utility prices were higher in the WA capital than the rest of Oz.

Beautiful Perth where day-to-day living costs are more than Sydney.

The recent downturn in the resources sector may have eased prices in the housing market, but it has yet to have an affect at the cash register.

A combo meal at McDonald’s will set you back $10 in Perth but will only cost you $9 in Sydney, $9 in Melbourne, $8.98 in Adelaide, $8 in Hobart, $9.98 in Brisbane, $8.72 in Canberra and $10 in Darwin.

It seems West Australians are paying more for even some basic items like a bottle of water than cosmopolitan cities such as Stockholm, Paris and Brussels.

In Perth a 300ml bottle will set you back around $2.94 where as in Stockholm, Sweden it will costs $2.84 (AUD), Paris, France $2.77 and Brussels, Belgium $2.69.

This woman doesn’t care how much her water cost.

Australia was the most expensive country in the world to buy a pack of Marlboro cigarettes as well as one minute of prepaid mobile phone use (excluding discounts or plans).

But one area prices were falling in Perth was housing.

The figures follow the latest Real Estate Institute of WA report showing a $5000 drop in the median price in Perth over the past three months to $545,000.