Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Busselton and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,622 in Busselton, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Busselton
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Busselton Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Busselton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,622

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,622 in Busselton versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Busselton $2,622
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,738 in Busselton versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Busselton $3,738
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,853 in Busselton versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Busselton $4,853
Phuket $3,154

Living in Busselton is roughly 105% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busselton is 93% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 A$25.17

$4.47 ฿151

296.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 A$122

$32.41 ฿1,094

164.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 A$14.86

$8.81 ฿297

18.73%

Cappuccino

$4.61 A$6.55

$2.83 ฿95.5

62.90%

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

$2.06 A$2.92

$0.87 ฿29.43

136.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 A$3.06

$0.49 ฿16.67

338.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 A$11.59

$2.56 ฿86.4

218.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.65 A$12.29

$3.68 ฿124

135.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.40

$1.66 ฿56.0

1.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 A$4.60

$1.46 ฿49.35

121.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 A$2.89

$1.50 ฿50.6

35.33%

Eggs

$5.29 A$7.51

$2.09 ฿70.5

153.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.82

$19.07 ฿644

-52.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 A$13.43

$3.30 ฿111

186.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.73 A$19.51

$10.91 ฿368

25.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.53

$2.93 ฿99.0

56.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.59

$1.69 ฿57.1

91.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 A$5.05

$2.25 ฿75.8

57.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.99 A$7.09

$2.08 ฿70.1

139.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 A$4.13

$1.51 ฿51.0

92.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.80

$1.38 ฿46.56

42.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 A$3.16

$1.07 ฿35.99

107.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 A$1.91

$0.52 ฿17.52

159.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.77 A$59.4

$4.20 ฿142

894.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.58 A$17.88

$18.79 ฿634

-33.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.34 A$6.16

$1.82 ฿61.5

138.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 A$4.87

$2.84 ฿95.9

20.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.02

$1.45 ฿49.03

95.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.3 A$107

$56.7 ฿1,913

32.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.28

$3.02 ฿102

23.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.08

$1.02 ฿34.36

43.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 A$57.5

$3.69 ฿125

996.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.94

$1.47 ฿49.81

-7.48%

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

$29.6K A$42.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

10.65%

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

$27.3K A$38.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

2.15%

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

$205 A$291

$96.4 ฿3,254

112.78%

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

$33.45 A$47.53

$11.26 ฿380

197.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.7 A$92.0

$16.85 ฿569

284.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 A$77.5

$67.2 ฿2,270

-18.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 A$28.10

$10.73 ฿362

84.25%

Cinema Ticket

$17.48 A$24.84

$7.50 ฿253

133.07%

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

$2,269 A$3,224

$476 ฿16.1K

376.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K A$32.7K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

104.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.1 A$111

$62.4 ฿2,106

25.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.0 A$89.6

$28.41 ฿959

121.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$175

$94.3 ฿3,184

30.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 A$228

$85.8 ฿2,898

87.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 A$1,830

$716 ฿24.2K

79.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,270 A$1,805

$491 ฿16.6K

158.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,366 A$3,362

$1,927 ฿65.1K

22.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,815 A$2,580

$1,431 ฿48.3K

26.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,978 A$8,494

$4,175 ฿141.0K

43.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,879 A$6,932

$3,045 ฿102.8K

60.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.57

7.00%

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

Last update for Busselton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Busselton

$1.3K 48.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 61.3% $779

Groceries & Markets

Busselton

$367 14%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 27.4% $101

Eating Out

Busselton

$303 11.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 59.9% $182

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Busselton

$303 11.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 58.9% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Busselton

$191 7.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 36.3% $69

Getting Around

Busselton

$98 3.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 27.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Busselton

$89 3.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 8.1% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,288 in Busselton and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86 in Busselton vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $367 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Busselton

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

21:54 9:54 PM

1 h behind Busselton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,233

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Busselton Phuket 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Busselton vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busselton and Phuket differ by about 105% in total monthly costs ($2,622 vs $1,278 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,933 in Busselton 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: $1,288 in Busselton versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,269 in Busselton 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 38% higher in Busselton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,622 in Busselton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Busselton. 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, Busselton 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 51% less than in Busselton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.