Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Broken Hill and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,371 in Broken Hill, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Broken Hill
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Broken Hill Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Broken Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,371

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,371 in Broken Hill versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Broken Hill $2,371
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,506 in Broken Hill versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Broken Hill $3,506
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,641 in Broken Hill versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Broken Hill $4,641
Phuket $3,154

Living in Broken Hill is roughly 85% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Broken Hill is 74% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 A$23.94

$4.47 ฿151

274.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 A$119

$32.41 ฿1,092

157.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 A$13.01

$8.81 ฿297

3.41%

Cappuccino

$4.13 A$5.90

$2.83 ฿95.3

45.94%

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

$2.79 A$3.99

$0.87 ฿29.37

220.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 A$3.33

$0.49 ฿16.64

375.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 A$10.66

$2.56 ฿86.2

191.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.00 A$10.00

$3.68 ฿124

90.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.52

$1.66 ฿55.9

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 A$4.00

$1.46 ฿49.25

91.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 A$2.91

$1.50 ฿50.4

36.00%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.91

$2.09 ฿70.4

165.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.62 A$13.74

$19.07 ฿642

-49.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.18 A$14.54

$3.30 ฿111

208.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 A$23.35

$10.91 ฿368

49.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.25 A$6.07

$2.93 ฿98.7

45.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.06

$1.69 ฿56.9

68.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 A$4.26

$2.25 ฿75.7

32.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.72 A$6.74

$2.08 ฿70.0

126.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.32

$1.51 ฿50.9

100.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.34

$1.38 ฿46.47

69.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 A$3.19

$1.07 ฿35.91

108.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 A$2.22

$0.52 ฿17.49

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$48.29 A$69.0

$4.20 ฿142

1049.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.24 A$21.76

$18.79 ฿633

-18.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.21 A$6.01

$1.82 ฿61.4

131.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 A$7.82

$2.84 ฿95.7

92.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 A$3.85

$1.45 ฿48.93

86.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.7 A$109

$56.7 ฿1,909

35.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 A$5.39

$3.02 ฿102

24.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 A$2.57

$1.02 ฿34.29

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.58 A$63.7

$3.69 ฿124

1108.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.47 ฿49.70

3.40%

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

$30.7K A$43.9K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

14.70%

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

$24.5K A$35.0K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-8.19%

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

$205 A$293

$96.4 ฿3,247

112.81%

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

$25.11 A$35.87

$11.26 ฿380

123.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.2 A$81.6

$16.85 ฿568

239.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 A$90.9

$67.2 ฿2,266

-5.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 A$21.63

$10.73 ฿361

41.19%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 A$19.96

$7.50 ฿253

86.27%

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

$2,372 A$3,388

$476 ฿16.0K

398.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.7K A$30.9K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

92.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 A$98.5

$62.4 ฿2,102

10.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.07 A$68.7

$28.41 ฿957

69.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$151

$94.3 ฿3,178

11.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$178

$85.8 ฿2,892

45.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 A$2,277

$716 ฿24.1K

122.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 A$1,528

$491 ฿16.5K

117.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,252 A$3,216

$1,927 ฿64.9K

16.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 A$2,457

$1,431 ฿48.2K

20.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,079 A$7,253

$4,175 ฿140.7K

21.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,926 A$7,035

$3,045 ฿102.6K

61.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Broken Hill: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Broken Hill

$1.1K 45.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 54.1% $579

Groceries & Markets

Broken Hill

$383 16.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 30.4% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Broken Hill

$287 12.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 56.7% $163

Eating Out

Broken Hill

$283 11.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 57% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Broken Hill

$156 6.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 22.1% $34

Getting Around

Broken Hill

$100 4.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 29.6% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Broken Hill

$92 3.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 10.2% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,594 in Broken Hill and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Broken Hill vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Broken Hill

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

3 h 30 min behind Broken Hill

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,456

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Broken Hill Phuket 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Broken Hill
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

Broken Hill vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,556 in Broken Hill and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,594 in Broken Hill versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,372 in Broken Hill versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Broken Hill. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,371 in Broken Hill, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Broken Hill. 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, Broken Hill 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 46% less than in Broken Hill. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.