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: $2,172 in Busselton versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,228 in Busselton versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,284 in Busselton versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Busselton is roughly 74% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Busselton is 63% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.00 A$22.93

$4.55 ฿153

251.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.5 A$111

$46.18 ฿1,554

67.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 A$13.18

$8.84 ฿298

4.07%

Cappuccino

$3.70 A$5.30

$3.06 ฿103

20.92%

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

$2.42 A$3.47

$0.73 ฿24.42

231.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 A$2.87

$0.40 ฿13.40

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 A$11.09

$2.43 ฿81.8

218.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.51 A$9.33

$3.78 ฿127

72.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 A$1.20

$2.26 ฿76.0

-62.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 A$1.61

$1.81 ฿60.9

-38.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 A$1.46

$2.25 ฿75.8

-54.67%

Eggs

$3.14 A$4.50

$2.25 ฿75.6

39.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.33 A$11.94

$19.51 ฿656

-57.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.68 A$11.01

$3.65 ฿123

110.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 A$20.09

$13.05 ฿439

7.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.79

$3.23 ฿109

3.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 A$2.71

$1.62 ฿54.4

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 A$4.22

$2.38 ฿80.2

23.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 A$6.34

$2.03 ฿68.2

117.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.50

$1.53 ฿51.6

59.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 A$2.54

$1.50 ฿50.5

18.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.94 A$2.78

$0.98 ฿32.93

97.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 A$2.11

$0.52 ฿17.40

182.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.33 A$20.53

$4.44 ฿149

222.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.22 A$18.94

$18.32 ฿616

-27.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.90 A$5.59

$1.86 ฿62.7

109.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 A$5.96

$2.68 ฿90.2

55.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 A$3.67

$1.41 ฿47.49

81.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.1 A$93.3

$11.70 ฿394

456.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 A$5.78

$3.11 ฿105

29.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 A$3.08

$1.04 ฿35.08

106.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.49 A$70.9

$14.11 ฿475

250.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 A$1.67

$1.31 ฿44.13

-11.45%

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

$28.3K A$40.6K

$27.8K ฿936.0K

1.89%

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

$24.1K A$34.6K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

-27.36%

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

$158 A$226

$122 ฿4,120

28.65%

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

$28.43 A$40.73

$13.59 ฿457

109.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.47 A$70.9

$18.70 ฿629

164.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.26 A$70.6

$60.5 ฿2,035

-18.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.55 A$22.28

$16.98 ฿572

-8.42%

Cinema Ticket

$16.10 A$23.07

$9.07 ฿305

77.51%

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

$1,765 A$2,529

$706 ฿23.8K

149.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K A$17.1K

$15.8K ฿531.8K

-24.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 A$91.9

$58.6 ฿1,970

9.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.31 A$67.8

$35.36 ฿1,190

33.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 A$148

$115 ฿3,885

-10.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$152

$83.7 ฿2,818

26.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 A$1,818

$626 ฿21.1K

102.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 A$1,549

$445 ฿15.0K

142.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 A$2,938

$2,040 ฿68.7K

0.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,649 A$2,362

$1,492 ฿50.2K

10.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,316 A$9,048

$3,483 ฿117.2K

81.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,383 A$7,712

$2,577 ฿86.7K

108.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

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 Busselton: July 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,269 in Busselton and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $77.0 in Busselton vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $289 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 74% in total monthly costs ($2,172 vs $1,250 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $3,258 in Busselton and $1,875 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: $1,269 in Busselton versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,765 in Busselton versus $706 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Busselton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,172 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 74% less than in Busselton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.