Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bundaberg and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,147 in Bundaberg, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Bundaberg, Australia
Phuket, Thailand
Bundaberg
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,147
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,147 per month in Bundaberg vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Bundaberg $2,147
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,213 per month in Bundaberg vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Bundaberg $3,213
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,279 per month in Bundaberg vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Bundaberg $4,279
  • Phuket $3,154

Bundaberg costs about 68% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bundaberg sits 58% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bundaberg
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.13 A$28.64
$4.47 ฿151
350.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.1 A$101
$32.41 ฿1,094
119.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.41 A$14.80
$8.81 ฿297
18.16%
Cappuccino
$3.84 A$5.47
$2.83 ฿95.4
35.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 A$3.17
$0.87 ฿29.42
156.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 A$3.19
$0.49 ฿16.66
357.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.80 A$11.10
$2.56 ฿86.3
204.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.44 A$9.15
$3.68 ฿124
75.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bundaberg
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.04 A$2.91
$1.66 ฿56.0
22.89%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 A$3.31
$1.46 ฿49.32
59.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.20 A$4.55
$1.50 ฿50.5
113.33%
Eggs
$4.42 A$6.29
$2.09 ฿70.5
111.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.31 A$14.67
$19.07 ฿643
-45.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.91 A$14.10
$3.30 ฿111
200.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.86 A$32.51
$10.91 ฿368
109.53%
Apples (1kg)
$3.72 A$5.30
$2.93 ฿98.9
26.96%
Banana (1kg)
$2.73 A$3.88
$1.69 ฿57.0
61.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.85 A$4.05
$2.25 ฿75.8
26.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.36 A$6.20
$2.08 ฿70.1
109.62%
Potato (1kg)
$3.34 A$4.75
$1.51 ฿51.0
121.19%
Onion (1kg)
$2.56 A$3.65
$1.38 ฿46.54
85.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.13 A$3.03
$1.07 ฿35.97
99.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.63 A$3.74
$0.52 ฿17.51
405.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.46 A$43.32
$4.20 ฿142
625.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.20 A$18.78
$18.79 ฿634
-29.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$7.59 A$10.80
$1.82 ฿61.5
317.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.35 A$7.61
$2.84 ฿95.9
88.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Bundaberg
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.50 A$3.56
$1.45 ฿49.00
72.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.6 A$86.3
$56.7 ฿1,912
7.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.78 A$5.38
$3.02 ฿102
25.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 A$2.17
$1.02 ฿34.34
50.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$41.72 A$59.3
$3.69 ฿125
1030.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 A$1.83
$1.47 ฿49.78
-12.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K A$38.9K
$26.8K ฿903.7K
2.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K A$37.7K
$26.7K ฿900.8K
-0.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bundaberg
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$140 A$199
$96.4 ฿3,252
45.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.16 A$40.05
$11.26 ฿380
150.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$57.9 A$82.3
$16.85 ฿569
243.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bundaberg
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.8 A$79.3
$67.2 ฿2,269
-17.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.49 A$24.88
$10.73 ฿362
63.00%
Cinema Ticket
$12.53 A$17.82
$7.50 ฿253
67.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bundaberg
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,109 A$2,999
$476 ฿16.1K
343.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$20.2K A$28.8K
$11.3K ฿380.1K
79.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bundaberg
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 A$154
$62.4 ฿2,105
73.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$73.2 A$104
$28.41 ฿959
157.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$148 A$211
$94.3 ฿3,182
56.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$162 A$230
$85.8 ฿2,896
88.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bundaberg
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$873 A$1,241
$716 ฿24.2K
21.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$807 A$1,148
$491 ฿16.6K
64.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,661 A$2,362
$1,927 ฿65.0K
-13.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,263 A$1,797
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-11.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,289 A$7,522
$4,175 ฿140.9K
26.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,619 A$6,569
$3,045 ฿102.8K
51.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bundaberg
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,771 A$3,941
$502 ฿17.0K
451.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6
5.57
7.72%

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

Last update for Bundaberg: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bundaberg
$807
Phuket
$491 39.2% $316
Groceries & Markets
Bundaberg
$422
Phuket
$266 36.9% $155
Eating Out
Bundaberg
$308
Phuket
$122 60.5% $186
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bundaberg
$226
Phuket
$124 44.9% $102
Clothing & Footwear
Bundaberg
$221
Phuket
$122 44.8% $99
Getting Around
Bundaberg
$82
Phuket
$71 14% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Bundaberg
$81
Phuket
$82 1.7% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $873 in Bundaberg versus $716 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 in Bundaberg are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Bundaberg versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $422 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Bundaberg
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
18:00 6:00 PM
15:00 3:00 PM
3 h behind Bundaberg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
52,370
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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bundaberg Phuket 6,880 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bundaberg
  • 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
Bundaberg vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bundaberg or Phuket?
Bundaberg costs about 68% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Bundaberg and in Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,220 per month in Bundaberg and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Bundaberg or Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $873 in Bundaberg.
Are groceries more expensive in Bundaberg or in Phuket?
Groceries cost about 58% more in Bundaberg, though the gap depends on what you buy.
How do dining costs compare in Bundaberg and in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Bundaberg and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Bundaberg or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Bundaberg at $2,147. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bundaberg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
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.
How safe is Bundaberg compared to Phuket?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Bundaberg or to Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bundaberg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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