Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bathurst, Australia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,543 in Bathurst, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bathurst, Australia
Phuket, Thailand
Bathurst
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,543
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bathurst 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 Bathurst and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,543 per month in Bathurst vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Bathurst $2,543
  • Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $3,640 per month in Bathurst vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Bathurst $3,640
  • Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Bathurst vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Bathurst $4,737
  • Phuket $3,115

Bathurst costs about 97% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bathurst sits 88% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bathurst
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.12 A$21.64
$4.39 ฿148
244.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.9 A$121
$32.31 ฿1,090
162.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.70 A$15.32
$8.70 ฿294
22.99%
Cappuccino
$3.64 A$5.21
$2.72 ฿91.9
33.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 A$4.13
$0.93 ฿31.39
210.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 A$3.31
$0.50 ฿16.85
362.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.75 A$6.81
$2.53 ฿85.4
87.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.29 A$10.43
$3.63 ฿122
100.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bathurst
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 A$2.23
$1.74 ฿58.7
-10.34%
White Bread (500g)
$2.73 A$3.91
$1.45 ฿48.95
88.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 A$3.18
$1.50 ฿50.7
48.00%
Eggs
$5.68 A$8.14
$2.17 ฿73.3
161.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.03 A$14.35
$19.09 ฿644
-47.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.27 A$13.27
$3.40 ฿115
172.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.08 A$20.15
$10.90 ฿368
29.17%
Apples (1kg)
$4.31 A$6.17
$2.94 ฿99.2
46.60%
Banana (1kg)
$3.17 A$4.53
$1.69 ฿57.1
87.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.71 A$5.31
$2.19 ฿74.0
69.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.78 A$6.85
$2.12 ฿71.7
125.47%
Potato (1kg)
$2.48 A$3.55
$1.46 ฿49.21
69.86%
Onion (1kg)
$2.35 A$3.37
$1.37 ฿46.15
71.53%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.06 A$2.95
$1.08 ฿36.30
90.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 A$2.18
$0.55 ฿18.41
176.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$41.65 A$59.6
$4.43 ฿149
840.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.33 A$17.65
$18.25 ฿616
-32.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.05 A$7.23
$1.77 ฿59.8
185.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.79 A$6.85
$2.88 ฿97.2
66.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Bathurst
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.90 A$4.15
$1.45 ฿48.84
100.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$91.0 A$130
$54.9 ฿1,852
65.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 A$5.45
$1.51 ฿51.0
152.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 A$2.22
$0.78 ฿26.18
98.72%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$37.35 A$53.5
$3.84 ฿130
872.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.35 A$1.94
$1.49 ฿50.2
-9.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K A$46.9K
$26.9K ฿907.0K
21.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K A$42.7K
$26.3K ฿888.9K
13.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bathurst
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$209 A$300
$97.8 ฿3,300
114.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.21 A$59.0
$11.29 ฿381
265.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$62.4 A$89.3
$17.19 ฿580
263.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bathurst
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$59.5 A$85.1
$68.3 ฿2,305
-13.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.94 A$28.55
$10.92 ฿368
82.60%
Cinema Ticket
$14.72 A$21.07
$7.43 ฿251
98.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bathurst
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,312 A$3,310
$530 ฿17.9K
335.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.6K A$33.7K
$18.8K ฿633.7K
25.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bathurst
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$76.2 A$109
$61.7 ฿2,081
23.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.5 A$78.0
$28.25 ฿953
92.92%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 A$156
$96.0 ฿3,239
13.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$113 A$162
$86.8 ฿2,929
30.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bathurst
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,399 A$2,003
$721 ฿24.3K
94.04%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,241 A$1,777
$509 ฿17.2K
143.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,280 A$3,263
$1,950 ฿65.8K
16.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,816 A$2,599
$1,397 ฿47.1K
30.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,922 A$8,478
$4,192 ฿141.4K
41.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,559 A$6,526
$3,298 ฿111.3K
38.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bathurst
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$492 ฿16.6K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.91
5.57
6.10%

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

Last update for Bathurst: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bathurst
$1.2K
Phuket
$509 59% $732
Groceries & Markets
Bathurst
$371
Phuket
$267 28% $104
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bathurst
$313
Phuket
$126 59.7% $187
Eating Out
Bathurst
$256
Phuket
$120 53.3% $136
Clothing & Footwear
Bathurst
$159
Phuket
$123 22.8% $36
Getting Around
Bathurst
$114
Phuket
$66 42.1% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Bathurst
$89
Phuket
$83 6.4% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,399 in Bathurst versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Bathurst versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $371 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Bathurst
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
02:10 2:10 AM
22:10 10:10 PM
4 h behind Bathurst
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
36,230
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bathurst Phuket 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bathurst
  • 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
Bathurst vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Bathurst?
Yes – Bathurst is pricier by about 97%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,814 per month in Bathurst and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $1,399 in Bathurst.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 40% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $2,312 per month in Bathurst and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Bathurst or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Bathurst at $2,543. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bathurst it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Bathurst or Phuket more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Bathurst or Phuket?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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