Perth is 0.9°C (1.6°F) warmer by day, Sydney gets 268 mm (10.6 in) more rain a year.
Perth is at its warmest in February and coolest in August, while Sydney peaks in January and bottoms out in July. Month for month, Perth is the warmer of the two in 8 of 12 months.
Sydney is the wetter of the two, collecting 963 mm (37.9 in) of rain a year against 695 mm (27.4 in) in Perth. The most comfortable time to visit is March, April and December in Perth and March, April and December in Sydney.
| Perth | Metric | Sydney |
|---|---|---|
| 🌡️ Temperature | ||
| 22°C | 🌡️Average daytime high | 21.1°C |
| 16.4°C | 🌙Average nighttime low | 16.1°C |
| February | 🔥Hottest month | January |
| August | ❄️Coldest month | July |
| 🌧️ Rain | ||
| 695 mm | 🌧️Annual rainfall | 963 mm |
| July | ☔Wettest month | February |
| December | 🏜️Driest month | September |
| 💨 Climate | ||
| 69% | 💧Average humidity | 73% |
| 5.2 m/s | 💨Average wind speed | 3.2 m/s |
Overnight, Perth typically falls to around 16.4°C (61.5°F) while Sydney settles near 16.1°C (61°F).
Perth is hottest in February and coldest in August, whereas Sydney peaks in January and is coolest in July.
Perth sees the most rain in July and the least in December; Sydney is wettest in February and driest in September.
Sydney feels the more humid of the two, averaging 73% relative humidity against 69%.
For Sydney, the pick of the year is March, April and December.
Month by month, here is the coldest night, the average day and the hottest afternoon each city can expect. Switch Compare to read rainfall, humidity, wind or solar instead, and Period to move between the long-term 45-year average and any single year — the shading is a quick warm-to-cool guide.
| Month | Perth | Sydney | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Min | Avg | Max | Min | Avg | Max | |
| January | 19.5 | 23.1 | 26.8 | 20.2 | 22.8🔥 | 25.4 |
| February | 19.9 | 23.6🔥 | 27.2 | 20.5 | 22.8 | 25.1 |
| March | 19.2 | 22.7 | 26.1 | 19.6 | 21.8 | 24 |
| April | 17.7 | 20.6 | 23.5 | 17.5 | 19.7 | 21.9 |
| May | 16.1 | 18.6 | 21.1 | 15 | 17.2 | 19.3 |
| June | 14.7 | 16.7 | 18.8 | 12.6 | 14.7 | 16.8 |
| July | 13.7 | 15.7 | 17.6 | 11.4 | 13.8❄️ | 16.1 |
| August | 13.4 | 15.5❄️ | 17.5 | 11.7 | 14.4 | 17.1 |
| September | 13.6 | 16 | 18.3 | 13.4 | 16.3 | 19.3 |
| October | 14.4 | 17.1 | 19.9 | 15.2 | 18.2 | 21.2 |
| November | 16.1 | 19.2 | 22.4 | 16.9 | 19.7 | 22.5 |
| December | 18 | 21.4 | 24.7 | 18.7 | 21.5 | 24.3 |
| Annual Avg | 16.4 | 19.2 | 22 | 16.1 | 18.6 | 21.1 |
Min / mean / max temperature (°C). 🔥 marks each city's hottest month, ❄️ its coldest; shading runs cool blue to warm red.
The same figures plotted out, so the shape of a typical year is easier to see than in a grid. Where the two lines run close together Perth and Sydney feel alike; where they separate, they are genuinely different places to be.
Hover or tap any point to read the exact figures. Perth Sydney
See how Perth and Sydney stack up against other cities. Swipe for more.
Choose which city to keep, then search for any other city in our database — we'll build the comparison for you.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most when comparing Perth and Sydney — each drawn straight from the climate figures above.
Perth is the warmer of the two. It averages daytime highs of 22°C (71.6°F) against 21.1°C (70°F) in Sydney — roughly 0.9°C (1.6°F) warmer by day.
Perth is hottest in February, averaging highs of about 27.2°C (81°F), while Sydney peaks in January at around 25.4°C (77.7°F). That makes Perth the hotter of the two at the height of summer.
Sydney gets colder. In its coldest month (July) overnight lows average about 11.4°C (52.6°F), compared with 13.4°C (56.2°F) at the low point of the year in Perth.
Sydney is the wetter city, collecting about 963 mm (37.9 in) of rain a year versus 695 mm (27.4 in) in Perth. Perth is wettest in July and driest in December; Sydney is wettest in February and driest in September.
Sydney is the more humid of the two, averaging 73% relative humidity over the year against 69% in Perth.
The most comfortable months in Perth are March, April and December, when average temperatures are at their mildest.
Sydney is at its most pleasant around March, April and December, based on the mildest average temperatures of the year.
Perth is the warmer city in 8 of the 12 months of the year. The gap is widest in June, about 2°C (3.6°F), and narrowest in December, about 0.1°C (0.2°F).
Both have a similar seasonal range — around 9°C (16.2°F) between the coldest and hottest months — so neither climate is noticeably more extreme than the other.
On climate alone, Perth comes out ahead — it offers warmer days, less rain and lower humidity than Sydney. Sydney is the better fit only if you'd actually prefer cooler weather, more rainfall and a more humid climate.
Every figure on this page is calculated from NASA POWER satellite climate data spanning 1981–2025 (45 years). The averages describe the long-term climate of Perth and Sydney, not a single year's weather or a short-range forecast.
