Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brisbane and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,518 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,518 per month in Brisbane vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Brisbane $2,518
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,720 per month in Brisbane vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Brisbane $3,720
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $4,922 per month in Brisbane vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Brisbane $4,922
Phuket $2,845

Brisbane costs about 108% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Brisbane sits 86% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$25.02

$4.40 ฿147

295.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.9 A$102

$32.26 ฿1,078

119.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 A$15.95

$8.76 ฿293

26.60%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$2.83 ฿94.5

56.54%

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

$2.90 A$4.17

$0.90 ฿30.14

222.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 A$3.49

$0.47 ฿15.56

417.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.42 A$12.12

$2.55 ฿85.2

230.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.31 A$11.96

$3.83 ฿128

116.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 A$2.40

$1.73 ฿57.7

-3.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 A$3.92

$1.47 ฿49.11

85.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 A$3.29

$1.51 ฿50.6

51.66%

Eggs

$4.82 A$6.94

$2.17 ฿72.7

122.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$19.70 ฿658

-54.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.18 A$13.21

$3.34 ฿112

174.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.21 A$20.45

$11.16 ฿373

27.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 A$6.20

$2.85 ฿95.1

51.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.38

$1.70 ฿56.9

78.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.32

$2.19 ฿73.3

36.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.75 A$6.84

$2.05 ฿68.4

131.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.92

$1.45 ฿48.57

87.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.37

$1.38 ฿46.16

69.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.07 ฿35.69

126.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.71

$0.51 ฿16.91

133.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.67 A$55.7

$4.26 ฿142

807.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.66 A$18.21

$18.58 ฿621

-31.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.40 A$7.77

$1.78 ฿59.7

203.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.38

$2.85 ฿95.2

80.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 A$0.53

$2.26 ฿75.6

-83.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.72 A$29.81

$22.10 ฿738

-6.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 A$4.20

$3.01 ฿101

-2.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 A$2.68

$1.06 ฿35.34

75.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.05 A$59.1

$3.86 ฿129

963.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$1.45 ฿48.45

-3.45%

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

$29.7K A$42.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

12.98%

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

$26.0K A$37.4K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-3.62%

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

$159 A$229

$96.4 ฿3,221

65.10%

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

$26.52 A$38.16

$11.04 ฿369

140.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.6 A$87.2

$17.14 ฿573

253.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 A$87.6

$52.2 ฿1,744

16.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.22 A$31.97

$11.16 ฿373

99.10%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 A$20.34

$7.81 ฿261

81.05%

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

$1,952 A$2,808

$556 ฿18.6K

251.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K A$18.3K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

9.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 A$120

$64.2 ฿2,146

29.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.69 A$62.9

$28.69 ฿959

52.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$163

$95.4 ฿3,187

18.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$160

$88.0 ฿2,940

26.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,939 A$2,790

$737 ฿24.6K

163.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 A$1,902

$462 ฿15.5K

185.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,408 A$4,904

$2,095 ฿70.0K

62.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 A$3,226

$1,201 ฿40.1K

86.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,271 A$11.9K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

137.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,920 A$8,518

$2,523 ฿84.3K

134.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,183 A$6,020

$501 ฿16.7K

735.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.57

4.31%

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

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 65% $860

Groceries & Markets

Brisbane

$363 14.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 26% $94

Eating Out

Brisbane

$306 12.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 60.3% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brisbane

$246 9.8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 49.4% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Brisbane

$158 6.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 21.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Brisbane

$89 3.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 23.9% $21

Getting Around

Brisbane

$34 1.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 14.6% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,939 in Brisbane versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 736% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Brisbane versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

10:17 10:17 AM

3 h behind Brisbane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,287,896

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brisbane Phuket 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Brisbane
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

Brisbane vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 108% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,777 per month in Brisbane and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Brisbane and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Brisbane at $2,518. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $2,518 in Brisbane. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.