Where should I live? Brisbane or Perth in Australia?

I am an American that has secured a one year work visa for Australia. I have a Masters Degree and I am hoping to get a job doing office work. I have narrowed my choices of where to live to Brisbane or Perth. Where do you think I should live? What are the advantages/disadvantages to living in each city? How much does rent cost? Do you need a car?

Hey there!
A city is a city is a city ...
BUT .....
One is on the east coast
One is on the west coast
The east coast offers lots of different cities to visit - each easy and cheap to get to by plane
Once you're on the west coast, you're pretty much stuck there because of the high cost of travel from the west to the east
Perth is the city of preference for many who emigrate from the UK
Brisbane is associated with the Gold Coast and the surf beaches, the sun, the sand and very much an 'outdoor living' type of lifestyle.
You could do without a car for a time, particularly until you find your way around.
I find whenever I travel, that trains/buses are really useful - as long as you're not too concerned about timetables! If you're happy to go from point A to point B for tourist activities, trains or buses are great! You get to see so much without concentrating on the traffic rules, other cars, bikes etc. - not to mention cheaper! Petrol is just under $1.50 per litre at the moment!
For rental properties, you can check the newspaper classifieds - always up to date with what's available. To know which suburb to rent in, my suggestion is to try to find somewhere inexpensive first for a week or so, until you find your bearings and discover which suburbs might be the most appropriate. A Youth Hostel or Bed & Breakfast might be a suggestion for where you could stay.

Not sure about Perth but have included a jobsearch website, a real estate website and and things of interest in Brisbane

Easier than trying to explain and and you can check what things interest you

Either choice would be good . a car is very handy but public transport is very good as well . You would want a car to do a bit of travel as some great places to see. Perth is isolated from the rest of the country but it is a lovely city. Western Australia is huge with a big variety of scenery . Brisbane feels busier . You have The GoldCoast and Sunshine Coast at your door . The cost of living is similar. The weather is similar but more humid in Brisbane.

If you're only going to be here for a year, and you want to see the country, it would be easier and cheaper to base yourself on the East coast.

There is nothing wrong with Perth, it's just a long, long way away from the rest of Australia.

Perth. Brisbane is full of bogans and if you spend even a short amount of time there you will soon become a bogan too. Perth has a beautiful river in it and is a much wealthier city. With the King's Park right in the city (biggest city park in the world) though its not really a park more of a native woodland.
However Sydney and Melbourne are both better than those two cities.

Well, perth is over the otherside of Australia from sydney and melbourne and brisbane, which can be frustrating at times. Especially if you want to go on short trips to other cities because you are here only for a year. Perth is also a lot more expensive than brisbane for renting and living costs. The only city more expensive than Perth is Sydney. A good thing about perth is that it has the south west region of western australia, therefore best beaches in australia, and the weather isn't nearly as humid as brisbane.
From Brisbane it would be much easier to visit sydney and melbourne, and renting costs are cheaper. I've never been to brisbane, but some people love it because it has the gold and sunshine coasts, but others think the city of brisbane itself is boring. I would defnately recommend a car in both perth and brisbane especially if you live further than 20 minutes drive from the cbd.

Brisbane for sure