Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albury and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,261 in Albury, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Albury
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Albury Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Albury

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,261

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Albury and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Albury and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,261 in Albury versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Albury $2,261
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,366 in Albury versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Albury $3,366
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,472 in Albury versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Albury $4,472
Phuket $3,154

Living in Albury is roughly 77% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Albury is 66% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.81 A$29.58

$4.47 ฿151

365.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 A$127

$32.41 ฿1,093

175.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 A$14.85

$8.81 ฿297

18.62%

Cappuccino

$4.19 A$5.96

$2.83 ฿95.4

48.06%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 A$4.52

$0.87 ฿29.41

265.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 A$3.62

$0.49 ฿16.65

418.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.94 A$9.86

$2.56 ฿86.3

171.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.00 A$9.95

$3.68 ฿124

90.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.20

$1.66 ฿55.9

-6.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 A$4.64

$1.46 ฿49.31

123.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.73

$1.50 ฿50.5

75.33%

Eggs

$5.17 A$7.34

$2.09 ฿70.5

147.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 A$12.00

$19.07 ฿643

-55.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 A$14.45

$3.30 ฿111

208.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.84 A$18.25

$10.91 ฿368

17.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.65

$2.93 ฿98.9

11.60%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.59

$1.69 ฿57.0

91.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 A$5.09

$2.25 ฿75.8

59.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.99 A$7.10

$2.08 ฿70.0

139.90%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.47

$1.51 ฿51.0

107.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.93

$1.38 ฿46.52

49.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 A$3.34

$1.07 ฿35.96

119.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 A$1.92

$0.52 ฿17.51

159.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.61 A$39.25

$4.20 ฿142

557.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.28 A$20.29

$18.79 ฿634

-24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.53 A$6.43

$1.82 ฿61.5

148.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.67 A$8.06

$2.84 ฿95.8

99.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.91 A$5.55

$1.45 ฿48.98

169.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.5 A$104

$56.7 ฿1,912

29.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.91

$3.02 ฿102

14.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 A$2.23

$1.02 ฿34.33

53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.36 A$60.2

$3.69 ฿125

1047.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.95

$1.47 ฿49.76

-6.80%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.6K A$39.2K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

3.11%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.0K A$37.0K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-2.52%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$183 A$260

$96.4 ฿3,251

89.83%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.96 A$38.32

$11.26 ฿380

139.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.8 A$77.9

$16.85 ฿568

225.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$141 A$200

$67.2 ฿2,268

109.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.40 A$31.84

$10.73 ฿362

108.76%

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 A$18.29

$7.50 ฿253

71.47%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,188 A$3,110

$476 ฿16.1K

359.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K A$28.7K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

79.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 A$88.3

$62.4 ฿2,104

-0.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.28 A$58.7

$28.41 ฿958

45.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.9 A$139

$94.3 ฿3,181

3.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 A$154

$85.8 ฿2,895

25.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 A$1,593

$716 ฿24.2K

56.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$899 A$1,278

$491 ฿16.6K

83.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,914 A$2,720

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-0.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 A$1,954

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-3.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,729 A$6,721

$502 ฿16.9K

841.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Albury: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Albury

$899 39.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 45.4% $408

Groceries & Markets

Albury

$371 16.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 28.2% $104

Eating Out

Albury

$320 14.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 61.9% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albury

$265 11.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 53% $140

Sport & Entertainment

Albury

$167 7.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 50.7% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Albury

$139 6.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 12.4% $17

Getting Around

Albury

$100 4.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 29.7% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,121 in Albury and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albury pays about 9.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $89 in Albury vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $371 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Albury

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

08:41 8:41 AM

4 h behind Albury

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,323

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Albury Phuket 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Albury
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Albury vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Albury. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Albury is about 9.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,121 in Albury versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Albury. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $89 in Albury. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,261 in Albury, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Albury. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Albury and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Albury. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.