Living in Perth vs Living in Sydney as an Expat.

I’ve been lucky enough to live in both Perth and Sydney.

I lived in Perth for two years when I was 16-17, and then Sydney for a year and a half from the age of 25-27.

They were two very different periods of my life, but I also went back to Perth once a year to visit friends and lived there for 6 weeks before moving to Sydney with work, so have experienced Perth as an adult too.

Personally I prefer the city and laid back lifestyle of Perth, and the food and beaches in Perth, but the nightlife in Sydney is far better and there’s more to do.

It’s also much easier and cheaper to travel to other places in Australia from Sydney!

In Perth it’s so expensive to get to other areas of Australia, you may as well just go to Asia!

But anyway, I’ll break it down a little more for you…

Beaches in Perth vs Sydney

Winner: Perth

The beaches in Perth are far better, much quieter, the sand is whiter, more soft and powdery, and the ocean more clear and blue.

They’re honestly the best swimming beaches!

I think they’re very similar to Florida beaches, and honestly the beaches in Perth are some of my favourite in the whole world (especially the ones on Rottnest Island)!

Sydney’s beaches are more Mediterranean in style, with golden sands and green-blue waters, and a rocky coastline.

The beaches in Perth are always empty and you always have plenty of space around you, whereas Sydney’s beaches get insanely packed and you often can’t find a spare place on the beach to sit because they’re so busy!

Housing in Perth vs Sydney

Winner: Perth

Perth’s houses are about half the price of Sydney.

For example, in Perth you can get a studio unit in a really nice neighbourhood for about $300 a week. In Sydney that would cost you $600-$700 a week.

My house in Paddington in Sydney (photo below) cost $850 per week, per bedroom (so around $1700 total per month for a two bed house).

Jobs in Perth vs Sydney

Winner: Sydney

The jobs in Perth’s are very much mining and hospitality focused.

I moved to Sydney because there are more jobs on offer in the media and digital industry.

Most of the headquarters of businesses are in Sydney or Melbourne, so there’s naturally a lot more choice in jobs because of this.

Restaurants in Perth vs Sydney

Winner: Perth

I actually think Perth’s restaurants offer a higher quality of food, there’s a lot more fresh food, especially when it comes to seafood.

Sydney has more variety of restaurants, but for the best quality you have to pay a lot of money, whereas in Perth you can get the same quality but in the majority of restaurants for a lot less.

Bars & Nightlife in Perth vs Sydney

Winner: Sydney

Perth is *much* quieter when it comes to bars and nightlife.

There are a good selection of small bars across the city, but they’re never very busy and they close early.

There are a few clubs in Perth, but they’re all dodgy AF and full of teenagers.

Sydney’s bars and clubs are much better and there’s more going on, but the lock-out laws mean all of the clubs in the CBD, Darlinghurst, and Surry Hills close quite early, at 2am.

It’s only really the gay clubs that stay open until 4-5am, and that’s because they have a special license due to the live music/performances in the form of drag acts (that are ah-mazing fyi).

Things To Do In Perth vs Sydney

Winner: Sydney

Perth has loads of things to do if you have a car and if the weather is good, but if it’s rubbish weather and you’re reliant on public transport there isn’t that much to do if you live there.

Sydney has way more going on, especially when it comes to museums and art galleries and concerts etc.

Layout and Style of Perth vs Sydney

Winner: Perth

Perth is very spread out so you really need a car. It’s very suburban, with affluent suburbs in the western beaches north of the river and towards the city.

You can also park pretty much everywhere and it’s free, apart from in the bigger suburbs like Fremantle, Subiaco, and the City where you have to pay to park.

The roads are big and empty, and I honestly love driving around Perth and find it really relaxing!

Sydney has more of a city layout, so it’s difficult to drive around and you really don’t need a car.

All of the houses are very close together as most of them are terraces.

Overall Lifestyle in Perth vs Sydney

Winner: Perth

Perth is much more relaxed, easy-going, and laid-back than Sydney.

Sydney is more frantic and stressful, with more going on – which you naturally expect from a major city.

The Perth lifestyle is all about the beaches and river as there isn’t much to do there, while Sydney has more of a mix.

If you want the typical chilled-out Australian lifestyle though, Perth is the winner.

Places to Travel

Winner: Sydney

Travelling from Perth

Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world – it’s quicker to fly to Bali than to Sydney!

In terms of going to other countries, it’s only 3 hours to Bali, 5 hours to Singapore and Malaysia, and the flights to Europe are shorter from Perth than the Sydney, but it still costs roughly the same as if you went from the East Coast of Australia.

However, Western Australia is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the world, and there are plenty of places within the state to travel to  – I loveee a good ole Western Australian roadtrip.

And Rottnest Island is just a 40minute ferry ride from Fremantle, and is essentially a paradise island. It’s one of my favourite places in the world and I rave about it to everyone I meet!

There’s also Busselton and Margaret River down south, as well as Yallingup, Albany, and further across is Esperance where the kangaroos chill on the beach and there’s the pink lake.

Up north you can spend a couple of days driving and get to Monkey Mia, and also Coral Bay and Exmouth, where the Whale Sharks are.

A Perth staycation at the stunning COMO The Treasury is also something I loved doing.

Travelling to other places in WA is all about the driving, rather than flying, and roadtrips are super popular!

Travelling from Sydney

Travelling to other places on the East Coast is very easy from Sydney, with flights generally being within 2 hours and costing only about $200 return.

When I moved to Sydney I assumed I’ve be able to easily and cheaply get to the South Pacific islands and New Zealand, but actually I’ve found it really difficult as there are only a few flights a week, and they tend to be around $800 return.

However, while living in Sydney I did manage to visit Canberra, Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road, the Great Barrier Reef, Wellington and Dunedin in New Zealand, AND I even did a South Pacific Island-Hop visiting Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa.

So which is best – Perth or Sydney?

It really depends on what you’re looking for and also what your job requires. But if you want that laid-back, quiet beachy lifestyle, head to Perth.

If you’re more someone who likes to go out to bars and clubs, and you enjoy cultural things going on more often, move to Sydney!