Everything You Need to Know Before Moving to Perth
With 2.1 millions people (and counting!), Perth is Australia’s fourth-largest and fastest-growing city
One third of Perth’s residents are born overseas, with the majority of expats coming from Britain, New Zealand, South African, China and India. New arrivals will find it easy to meet and befriend fellow expats, and the Aussies are also very welcoming and friendly, making you feel right at home.
Although the cost of living in Perth is considered high globally, it is cheaper than other Australian cities and is generally offset by higher salaries. Perth boasts an excellent standard of living, making it well worth it. It is one of the world’s most livable cities, with a laid-back, family friendly lifestyle which enjoys a slower pace.
They don’t call it “Perfect Perth” for no reason. With its pleasant Mediterranean climate, Perth offers year-round enjoyable weather. Summers in Peth are hot and sunny, though offset with a pleasant sea-breeze, and winters are cool but not freezing. If you’re a skier, you’ll have to travel to find snow.
Perth has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and luckily a lot of these are just a short drive from the CBD. City Beach and Scarborough Beach are just 15 min from the CBD, Cottesloe Beach and Mettams Pools are a short 20 min drive and Bathers Beach near Fremantle is approximately 35 min drive from the CBD. Since the ocean is west, you can enjoy a beautiful sunset over the water.
Perth features beautiful national parks and wineries close by, such as the stunning Swan Valley. In the CBD, there’s also Kings Park and Hyde Park which feature picturesque gardens.
Perth has events and activities to accommodate all ages, from family friendly events to music festivals, fun playgrounds to botanical gardens, zoos to sporting events, Perth has something to offer for every lifestyle.
There are plenty of restaurants, bars and nightclubs in the entertainment hubs of Northbridge (north of Perth CBD), Leederville, Scarborough, Fremantle and Elizabeth Quay, and at Burswood, there is the Crown casino and resort.
Perth has many festivals and events including the Perth Festival, Fringe World Festival, Perth International Comedy Festival, Sculpture by the Sea, and music festivals including Listen Out, Origin and St Jerome’s Laneway Festival.
Accommodation in inner Perth can be relatively expensive. Although if you’re willing to commute into the CBD, you can score a great deal in the suburbs outside the city.
Metropolitan Perth has an extensive, reliable and inexpensive public transport network, featuring buses, trains and ferries, provided by Transperth, which makes traveling around the city easy. However, some parts of the city are difficult to reach without a car. Taxi and uber services are also available in Perth, although they are a lot more expensive.
If you’d like to visit other cities around Australia, you’ll unfortunately have to travel a little further. A weekend trip to Sydney, for example, requires a four-hour flight each way. However, the domestic and international airports are just 20 min from the CBD, so making your flight on time is easy.
Perth benefits from Australia’s universal, tax-funded healthcare scheme, Medicare, which offers free or subsidised healthcare in public hospitals for citizens and expats who have permanent residency. This means in the event of illness or injury, you can receive free or affordable treatment regardless of income.
Perth offers public, private (Catholic), independent and international schooling. It’s important to keep in mind area-zoning for schools when looking for a property to live in, as spots in some schools may fill up quickly and will give preference to a child within the school’s catchment zone. Public schools are free for children whose parents have permanent visas. Perth also has a few international schools which offer high-quality education but can be quite expensive.
