Cost of Living Comparison Between Bunbury and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Bunbury and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Bunbury versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,564 in Bunbury versus $2,054 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,630 in Bunbury versus $2,876 in Phuket.

Living in Bunbury is roughly 103% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bunbury is 83% above, Phuket is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.62 A$28.97

$4.41 ฿147

367.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$119

$32.26 ฿1,073

163.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 A$15.19

$8.93 ฿297

21.05%

Cappuccino

$4.25 A$5.97

$2.90 ฿96.3

46.55%

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

$2.92 A$4.10

$0.88 ฿29.27

231.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.14

$0.48 ฿16.00

364.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.55 A$12.01

$2.35 ฿78.2

263.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.74

$3.72 ฿124

124.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 A$1.57

$1.87 ฿62.0

-40.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 A$1.53

$1.47 ฿48.75

-25.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 A$2.86

$1.55 ฿51.6

31.61%

Eggs

$5.31 A$7.46

$2.10 ฿69.9

152.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.10 A$12.79

$19.59 ฿651

-53.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.70 A$12.23

$3.42 ฿114

154.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 A$12.36

$11.38 ฿378

-22.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.72 A$5.23

$2.98 ฿99.2

24.83%

Banana (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.67

$1.68 ฿56.0

98.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 A$4.11

$2.21 ฿73.5

32.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 A$6.58

$2.16 ฿71.9

116.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.06

$1.52 ฿50.7

90.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 A$2.83

$1.34 ฿44.49

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 A$2.56

$1.13 ฿37.53

61.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 A$1.12

$0.55 ฿18.17

45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$26.03 A$36.57

$4.26 ฿142

511.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.13 A$10.01

$19.09 ฿635

-62.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.40 A$6.19

$1.78 ฿59.2

147.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 A$5.04

$2.78 ฿92.5

29.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 A$4.30

$2.23 ฿74.1

37.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.8 A$120

$22.74 ฿756

277.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.22

$3.03 ฿101

22.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 A$2.10

$1.02 ฿34.02

46.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.10 A$49.32

$3.89 ฿129

802.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.68

$1.49 ฿49.57

-20.13%

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

$21.1K A$29.7K

$26.6K ฿883.8K

-20.49%

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

$19.3K A$27.1K

$27.0K ฿898.7K

-28.76%

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

$163 A$229

$102 ฿3,407

59.32%

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

$33.59 A$47.19

$11.33 ฿377

196.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.4 A$89.0

$17.40 ฿578

264.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 A$78.6

$52.1 ฿1,732

7.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 A$25.59

$11.07 ฿368

64.59%

Cinema Ticket

$14.04 A$19.73

$7.69 ฿256

82.57%

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

$2,387 A$3,354

$561 ฿18.6K

325.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K A$33.3K

$11.5K ฿382.6K

106.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$109

$63.0 ฿2,096

22.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.6 A$92.1

$29.52 ฿982

122.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$169

$98.0 ฿3,259

23.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.4 A$137

$88.5 ฿2,943

10.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,425 A$2,003

$738 ฿24.5K

93.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 A$1,735

$482 ฿16.0K

155.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,252 A$3,164

$2,107 ฿70.0K

6.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 A$2,557

$1,226 ฿40.8K

48.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,201 A$10.1K

$3,617 ฿120.3K

99.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,016 A$7,048

$2,603 ฿86.5K

92.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,712 A$6,620

$494 ฿16.4K

854.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.57

6.28%

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

Last update for Bunbury: September 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,425 in Bunbury and $738 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bunbury pays 855% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Bunbury vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $274 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Bunbury vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 103% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 855% higher in Bunbury, 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: $1,425 in Bunbury versus $738 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,387 in Bunbury versus $561 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Bunbury. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $2,499 in Bunbury, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bunbury. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bunbury, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bunbury and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 103% less than in Bunbury. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.