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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Perth vs Cairns in 2026: cost index 110 vs 95, rent $2,300 vs $1,600, income $82,000 vs $62,000, QoL 65 vs 64.
Perth vs Cairns in 2026: cost index 110 vs 95, rent $2,300 vs $1,600, income $82,000 vs $62,000, QoL 65 vs 64.
Perth ranks #1 with a cost index of 110 and rent of $2,300/month.
Average cost index across these cities: 103 (-4 vs national average of 107).
Average quality of life: 65/100. Top: Perth at 65/100.
Safest city: Perth (68/100 safety score).
If you remember nothing else from this page, remember this: Perth stands out as the top-ranked city in this analysis. With a cost index of 110 and median income of $82,000, it offers competitive value despite costs slightly above the national median. Financially, that's significant.
On quality of life, Perth leads with a composite score of 65/100 — reflecting its safety (68), healthcare (80), and walkability (58) metrics. Zooming out, affordability and QoL don't always move in the same direction, and Australia is a good example of that tension.
The country average QoL score is 64/100. Perth leads with 65/100, reflecting its safety, healthcare access, walkability, and green space.
Our index is benchmarked to 100 (national median). Sub-categories cover housing, food, transport, utilities, and healthcare. Data sources include ABS, CoreLogic, ATO.
Perth (ranked #1) has a cost index of 110 and rent of $2,300/mo. Cairns (#2) has index 95 and rent $1,600/mo — a 15-point gap.