Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burnie and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,646 in Burnie, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Burnie
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Burnie Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Burnie

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,646

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Burnie versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Burnie $1,646
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,474 in Burnie versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Burnie $2,474
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,301 in Burnie versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Burnie $3,301
Phuket $2,867

Living in Burnie is roughly 36% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Burnie is 22% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.62 A$26.80

$4.58 ฿153

306.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.2 A$133

$32.48 ฿1,086

183.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 A$8.06

$8.55 ฿286

-34.50%

Cappuccino

$3.88 A$5.58

$2.72 ฿91.0

42.65%

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

$3.39 A$4.87

$0.94 ฿31.25

260.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 A$2.53

$0.49 ฿16.39

259.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.25 A$6.11

$2.59 ฿86.6

64.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 A$8.39

$3.83 ฿128

52.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 A$2.66

$1.74 ฿58.1

6.32%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.43 ฿47.82

69.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 A$2.69

$1.53 ฿51.0

22.22%

Eggs

$5.04 A$7.25

$2.17 ฿72.7

132.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.90 A$14.24

$19.15 ฿640

-48.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.17 A$8.87

$3.30 ฿110

86.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.30 A$24.89

$11.14 ฿372

55.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.04

$2.95 ฿98.5

-4.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.92

$1.68 ฿56.1

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.08

$2.30 ฿76.8

-6.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.08

$2.13 ฿71.3

33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.63

$1.53 ฿51.1

64.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 A$3.03

$1.36 ฿45.55

55.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 A$3.08

$1.12 ฿37.44

91.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$0.55 ฿18.24

201.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$36.64 A$52.7

$4.26 ฿142

760.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 A$21.06

$18.19 ฿608

-19.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.46 A$4.97

$1.74 ฿58.2

98.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 A$7.82

$2.79 ฿93.3

94.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 A$2.72

$2.22 ฿74.1

-14.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 A$3.84

$2.91 ฿97.3

-8.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 A$2.96

$1.01 ฿33.79

102.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.09 A$59.1

$3.83 ฿128

972.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.86

$1.49 ฿49.85

-13.42%

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

$26.9K A$38.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

0.92%

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

$31.2K A$44.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

16.65%

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

$210 A$302

$99.4 ฿3,321

110.93%

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

$21.19 A$30.49

$11.28 ฿377

87.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.00 A$69.1

$17.36 ฿580

176.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$14.19 A$20.42

$7.57 ฿253

87.45%

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

$2,007 A$2,888

$558 ฿18.7K

259.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K A$30.2K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

82.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$111

$62.9 ฿2,102

22.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.96 A$34.48

$28.58 ฿955

-16.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 A$149

$96.1 ฿3,213

7.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 A$138

$88.1 ฿2,943

8.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 A$1,173

$729 ฿24.4K

11.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 A$840

$460 ฿15.4K

26.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 A$1,607

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-46.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 A$1,199

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-31.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,999 A$7,193

$493 ฿16.5K

913.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.6

5.57

0.54%

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

Last update for Burnie: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burnie

$584 35.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 21.2% $124

Groceries & Markets

Burnie

$334 20.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 19.8% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burnie

$279 16.9%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 54.1% $151

Eating Out

Burnie

$266 16.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 54.4% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Burnie

$135 8.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 8.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Burnie

$28 * 1.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 138% $39

Getting Around

Burnie

$21 * 1.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 89.6% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $815 in Burnie and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burnie pays 914% 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: $92.0 in Burnie vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Burnie

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:56 1:56 AM

21:56 9:56 PM

4 h behind Burnie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,267

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Burnie Phuket 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Burnie
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

Burnie vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 914% higher in Burnie, 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: $815 in Burnie versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Burnie. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,646 per month in Burnie versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,646 in Burnie, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Burnie. 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 Burnie, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Burnie 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 36% less than in Burnie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.