As more and more expats look to move to Australia for a new life there has been increasing interest in life in Perth. Perth itself is the fourth-largest city in Australia with a population of around 1.6 million people and is officially known as the capital of the state of Western Australia. The city itself can be traced back to 1829 although the area itself is mentioned in historic articles going back as far as 1697. So what exactly does Perth have to offer?

The climate in Perth

Perth has a climate which is officially known as a “Mediterranean climate” which effectively means dry hot summers and relatively cool and often wet winters. The record books show that the rainfall in Perth has changed dramatically since the 1970s with more sporadic and heavier downpours now commonplace. Whether this is the result of global warming is a debate which continues to rage but there is no doubt that some areas of Australia, including Perth, have seen their weather patterns change significantly over the years.

The economy in Perth

Perth itself is fairly isolated from the main business arena of Australia and as such has developed from a commodities and local services economy into a purely services economy which also houses the administrative centre for businesses and the government of the state. While the services sector is by far and away the more prominent business arena in Perth, there are other operations which include shipbuilding, mining, agriculture, health, education and retail.

Property prices in Perth

Even though Perth saw something of a property boom between 2005 and 2008 the price of property in the region is relatively low compared to the likes of Sydney and Melbourne. However, during the above boom period prices increased at a faster rate than wages which did place pressure on locals in the region. It was the influx of skilled overseas workers during this period which saw property prices pushed higher, causing something of a conflict between the local population and overseas workers moving to Perth.

The transport network of Perth

Despite the fact that Perth is somewhat isolated in geographical terms there has been a massive investment by the local government to ensure a reliable, quality and efficient transport network which takes in freeways, highways, trains, buses, ferries and airports to ensure the area is as freely accessible as possible. Without this investment by the local authorities there is no doubt that the Perth economy would not be what it is today.

The cost of living in Perth

The vast majority of the cost of living in Perth comes down to the cost of property which has increased significantly since 2005. The historic gap between the cost of living in Perth compared to places such as Melbourne and Sydney is still there but there is no doubt it has narrowed over the last few years. However, as the economy continues to grow and the influx of overseas workers rolls on we could see yet more pressure on the cost of living in Perth and cost of property in particular.

Author Bio: Life in Perth is proving to be very lucrative and very interesting for many expats who have moved to the area. So what does Living in Perth have to offer?

Category: Travel
Keywords: life in perth, living in perth