WAtoday can reveal Perth residents who have forked out the big bucks for a home in the Shire of Peppermint Grove are paying nearly the same amount in council rates as the Shire of Halls Creek, a remote East Kimberley town.
Data obtained by the WA Local Government Association's Know Your Council feature spells out the rates paid by homeowners on their residential properties for the 2016-17 period.
How your metropolitan rates compare:
Peppermint Grove ratepayers have coughed up around $4134 over the 2016-17 financial year for their prime real estate overlooking the Swan River, while Halls Creek residents have paid $3788 for a home seven hours away from Broome.
Peppermint Grove also saw the biggest rate increase over the eight year period from 2009 to 2017, going up by almost $3234.86.
Mosman Park also saw dramatic increase over time, going from $599 to $2477.91 this year.
Both areas also ring in as Perth's most expensive metropolitan suburbs for council rates.
On the flip side, student-favourite Canning has taken home the title of least expensive suburb for council rates.
Canning only charged its residents $1251.83 to access the council's services in 2017, and Belmont comes in at a close second at just $1320.92.
Both Canning and Vincent also recorded the lowest increases in the Perth metro suburbs, and overall, the typical Perth metropolitan ratepayer can now expect to pay around $1747 per year.
Which Perth council has increased its rates the most?
It was a similar story in regional WA, with the Shire of Halls Creek deemed the most expensive for council rates and the Shire of Menzies the least expensive.
Halls Creek was closely followed by the nearby Shire of Wyndham- East Kimberley, and the Shire of Broome.
In 2009, a number of WA regional shire residents were also paying upwards of $2000 for planned infrastructure and upgrades to their region – including locals in Menzies, Sandstone and Cue.
These shires have now dropped dramatically in how much their residents pay, and now record some of the lowest figures in regional WA.
The average ratepayer in regional WA can expect to pay around $1386 per year.
How your regional rates compare: