Cost of Living Comparison Between Busselton and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Busselton and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,703 in Busselton versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,845 in Busselton versus $2,089 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,987 in Busselton versus $2,913 in Phuket.

Living in Busselton is roughly 114% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busselton is 96% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.96 A$25.03

$4.66 ฿154

285.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 A$119

$32.22 ฿1,065

165.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.88 A$15.17

$8.68 ฿287

25.35%

Cappuccino

$4.68 A$6.53

$2.90 ฿95.8

61.38%

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

$2.18 A$3.04

$0.84 ฿27.89

159.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.05

$0.49 ฿16.16

344.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.85 A$12.34

$2.48 ฿82.0

256.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.74 A$12.19

$3.73 ฿123

134.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.36

$1.89 ฿62.3

-10.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 A$4.24

$1.41 ฿46.54

115.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 A$2.95

$1.62 ฿53.6

30.86%

Eggs

$5.54 A$7.72

$2.24 ฿74.1

147.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 A$12.49

$19.84 ฿656

-54.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.55 A$13.31

$3.48 ฿115

174.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.60 A$20.36

$11.37 ฿376

28.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.60

$2.90 ฿95.8

63.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.52

$1.72 ฿57.0

88.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.84

$2.27 ฿75.1

52.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.22 A$7.27

$2.13 ฿70.4

145.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 A$4.11

$1.47 ฿48.72

100.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.75

$1.42 ฿46.92

38.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.36

$1.10 ฿36.25

119.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 A$1.90

$0.60 ฿19.76

126.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.83 A$59.7

$4.31 ฿142

893.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.86 A$17.93

$18.60 ฿615

-30.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.44 A$6.20

$1.80 ฿59.5

146.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 A$5.02

$2.97 ฿98.0

21.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.06 A$4.27

$2.25 ฿74.2

36.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.2 A$122

$23.49 ฿776

271.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 A$5.08

$3.10 ฿102

17.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 A$2.07

$1.08 ฿35.56

37.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.05 A$58.6

$3.87 ฿128

986.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.80

$1.43 ฿47.16

-9.79%

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

$28.1K A$39.2K

$27.8K ฿918.0K

1.06%

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

$30.5K A$42.5K

$27.0K ฿891.5K

13.04%

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

$207 A$289

$105 ฿3,462

97.55%

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

$33.48 A$46.68

$11.39 ฿376

193.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 A$89.6

$17.54 ฿580

266.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.6 A$78.9

$54.3 ฿1,795

4.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 A$25.48

$11.44 ฿378

59.79%

Cinema Ticket

$17.16 A$23.92

$7.78 ฿257

120.57%

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

$2,364 A$3,296

$576 ฿19.0K

310.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K A$32.8K

$11.6K ฿382.7K

102.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.6 A$108

$63.6 ฿2,103

21.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.7 A$97.2

$29.10 ฿961

139.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 A$172

$96.2 ฿3,179

28.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 A$225

$90.0 ฿2,974

79.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 A$1,999

$733 ฿24.2K

95.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 A$1,823

$501 ฿16.5K

161.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,259 A$3,150

$2,126 ฿70.2K

6.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,897 A$2,645

$1,252 ฿41.4K

51.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,731 A$9,384

$3,534 ฿116.8K

90.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,231 A$7,293

$2,622 ฿86.6K

99.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

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 Busselton: September 6, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,434 in Busselton and $733 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $86.0 in Busselton vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $275 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

Busselton vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busselton and Phuket differ by about 114% in total monthly costs ($2,703 vs $1,265 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,054 in Busselton and $1,898 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: $1,434 in Busselton versus $733 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,364 in Busselton versus $576 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Busselton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,703 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 114% less than in Busselton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.