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WA cost of living crisis: 'It's not the 80s anymore'

A flourishing mining boom and the massive influx of people that came with it have sent the cost of living in WA through the roof. Now the boom is gone, but life in the west stays expensive.

Perth is the second most expensive city in Australia, just behind Sydney, while WA also got the undesirable gong of hitting the highest unemployment rate in the country.

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A poll of around 1700 residents shows the WA state election is set to be a tight contest.

Cost of living has become the biggest concern for WA voters, with 25 per cent of people asked in an exclusive poll for Fairfax Media saying that it was the most important election issue for them, way above unemployment (about 16 per cent) and the controversial Perth Freight Link (15 per cent).

WAtoday checked in with every day Perth residents in key demographics to see how the high cost of living challenges their every day lives. 

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'We became accustomed to a pretty good lifestyle'

Nicole* and Darren* are two fifty-somethings, and have lived in their Padbury home since 1998.

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They bought the modest two bedroom, one bathroom home after years of renting in Perth's north, and moved in with their two children.

The purchase was exciting and a sign of independence for the pair- with Darren working as a sub-contractor for a WA building giant, and Nicole working towards a post-graduate qualification in business administration.

Their two children were only two years apart, and attended the same Catholic private school in Hillarys where fees were around $3000 per year.

But then things started to change.

Nicole finished university and became a part-time teacher at a local primary school. As they considered purchasing a second home, the Perth housing market took off and caused them to instead start renovations on their nine-year-old home. The pair then had their third child, six years after their first.

Then in perhaps the biggest change, Darren quit his job as a sub-contractor.

"We chose not to [continue to] subcontract due to the ridiculous requirements of a small business – such as superannuation, and workers compensation," Nicole said.

"Whilst this has definitely contributed to our peace of mind it does mean we are on a tighter budget. We don't like borrowing money against the house or using credit cards, which we did do in our twenties."

When asked to describe their 2017 experience of living in Perth, Nicole said one word came to mind - 'tight'.

In 2017, the cost to send their youngest son to the same high school as their other two children has increased to $8500 a year.

Unexpected renovation costs have left the family on the back foot, and constant issues with the family's golden retriever has racked up the vet bills.

The cost of groceries that used to cost the family a mere $100 a week has skyrocketed, with their love of expensive food failing to slow down with Perth's ever-rising costs.

With the fluctuating nature of Darren's work, it has also become difficult for the family to budget.

"We have always been impulsive, and the nature of Darren's work had always allowed us to be this way. If we wanted to go on holiday we just would. As we get older and since his work changed, we have become a lot more careful.

"Everything has just gone up. We became accustomed to a pretty good lifestyle in the eighties and we still try to perpetuate it."

Perth is Australia's second most expensive city, and boasts the fifteenth highest cost of living in the world.

In a survey conducted by WAtoday, the cost of living was found as the number one issue most likely to impact a WA constituent's vote.

Out of 1660 residents, 25.1 per cent found that the cost of living mattered more to them than the unemployment rate in WA, Roe 8 and the privatisation of Western Power.

In Nicole and Darren's case, any increase they see in Darren's income is quickly injected into the cost of groceries, petrol, utilities or medication to treat a family member's rare condition.

As the cost of living continues to climb, it has the ability to shape the outcome of the state election on March 11.

Long gone are the days where the family could escape on holiday whenever they wanted, or splash out on an expensive birthday dinner - and as the pressure on middle-class families continues to increase, it will only get more difficult.

*Names have been changed for privacy reasons

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