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: $1,973 in Bunbury versus $1,261 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,086 in Bunbury versus $2,286 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,199 in Bunbury versus $3,310 in Phuket.

Living in Bunbury is roughly 56% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bunbury is 47% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.22 A$22.92

$4.56 ฿149

255.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 A$111

$46.63 ฿1,519

68.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.33 A$14.60

$8.47 ฿276

21.96%

Cappuccino

$3.79 A$5.35

$3.03 ฿98.6

25.08%

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

$2.47 A$3.49

$0.69 ฿22.45

257.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 A$2.72

$0.37 ฿11.92

418.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.65 A$10.81

$2.49 ฿81.0

207.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 A$9.03

$3.66 ฿119

74.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 A$1.41

$2.18 ฿71.0

-54.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 A$1.42

$1.90 ฿62.0

-46.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 A$2.69

$2.20 ฿71.6

-13.18%

Eggs

$4.46 A$6.30

$2.22 ฿72.4

100.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 A$12.23

$19.99 ฿651

-56.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 A$10.95

$3.66 ฿119

111.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 A$10.74

$13.25 ฿432

-42.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.90

$3.23 ฿105

7.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 A$4.16

$1.70 ฿55.3

72.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 A$3.69

$2.39 ฿78.0

9.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 A$6.24

$2.08 ฿67.7

112.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.57

$1.59 ฿51.8

59.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 A$2.43

$1.48 ฿48.31

16.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 A$2.24

$1.03 ฿33.54

54.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 A$1.09

$0.52 ฿16.83

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.80 A$33.62

$4.25 ฿138

460.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.08 A$10.00

$18.79 ฿612

-62.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.94 A$5.57

$1.76 ฿57.2

123.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 A$5.90

$2.76 ฿89.8

51.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 A$3.60

$1.36 ฿44.32

87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.1 A$72.2

$11.36 ฿370

349.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 A$5.70

$3.14 ฿102

28.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 A$3.13

$1.04 ฿33.74

113.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.23 A$45.54

$13.77 ฿448

134.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 A$1.58

$1.34 ฿43.79

-17.16%

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

$19.6K A$27.7K

$27.7K ฿901.4K

-29.04%

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

$17.8K A$25.2K

$33.9K ฿1.1M

-47.42%

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

$150 A$211

$124 ฿4,025

21.09%

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

$27.82 A$39.31

$13.52 ฿440

105.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.6 A$77.2

$18.69 ฿609

192.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 A$73.5

$61.8 ฿2,013

-15.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.98 A$14.10

$17.25 ฿562

-42.14%

Cinema Ticket

$12.99 A$18.35

$9.14 ฿298

42.12%

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

$1,783 A$2,519

$703 ฿22.9K

153.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K A$17.2K

$15.9K ฿517.0K

-23.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.9 A$100

$59.5 ฿1,937

19.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.78 A$68.9

$35.07 ฿1,142

39.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$144

$115 ฿3,754

-11.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 A$125

$84.1 ฿2,737

5.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 A$1,262

$619 ฿20.1K

44.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 A$1,277

$433 ฿14.1K

108.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 A$2,421

$2,062 ฿67.2K

-16.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,681 A$2,375

$1,511 ฿49.2K

11.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,047 A$8,544

$3,646 ฿118.7K

65.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,337 A$7,540

$2,626 ฿85.5K

103.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,667 A$6,594

$507 ฿16.5K

820.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.42

5.33

20.45%

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

Last update for Bunbury: June 6, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $893 in Bunbury and $619 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bunbury pays 821% 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: $79.0 in Bunbury vs $47.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $293, with Bunbury cheaper for home cooking.

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, Clothing & Footwear, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Bunbury pays 821% more on average, 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: $893 in Bunbury versus $619 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,783 in Bunbury versus $703 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bunbury pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,261 in Phuket versus $1,973 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 56% less than in Bunbury. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.