Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Cairns is 53.9% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 83.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cairns is 50.9% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 35.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 A$16.99

$4.65 ฿149

155.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.5 A$115

$46.11 ฿1,474

74.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.63 A$15.20

$8.74 ฿279

21.62%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.62

$3.04 ฿97.1

29.28%

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

$2.76 A$3.95

$0.72 ฿23.03

283.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.18

$0.39 ฿12.50

471.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.51 A$9.32

$2.44 ฿78.0

166.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 A$10.12

$3.79 ฿121

86.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 A$2.47

$2.14 ฿68.6

-19.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 A$3.47

$1.86 ฿59.5

30.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 A$3.82

$2.19 ฿69.9

21.92%

Eggs

$4.00 A$5.72

$2.25 ฿71.8

77.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 A$11.22

$19.73 ฿631

-60.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 A$13.41

$3.79 ฿121

147.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 A$18.44

$13.55 ฿433

-4.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$3.25 ฿104

-8.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.19

$1.67 ฿53.4

33.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.96

$2.39 ฿76.5

15.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.35 A$10.51

$2.09 ฿66.9

251.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.16

$1.53 ฿48.88

44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.17

$1.51 ฿48.27

46.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 A$3.21

$0.99 ฿31.62

126.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.85 A$4.07

$0.51 ฿16.46

458.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$29.59 A$42.31

$4.27 ฿137

592.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.71 A$16.74

$20.31 ฿649

-42.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 A$4.74

$1.79 ฿57.3

85.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 A$5.08

$2.77 ฿88.5

28.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.52

$1.40 ฿44.89

125.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.3 A$94.8

$11.70 ฿374

466.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 A$9.40

$3.11 ฿99.4

111.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.19 A$4.56

$0.99 ฿31.80

222.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.36 A$47.71

$13.73 ฿439

142.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 A$1.66

$1.32 ฿42.17

-12.12%

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

$22.6K A$32.3K

$27.2K ฿870.7K

-16.95%

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

$19.3K A$27.6K

$34.1K ฿1.1M

-43.42%

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

$149 A$213

$120 ฿3,849

23.54%

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

$37.44 A$53.5

$13.93 ฿445

168.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 A$84.3

$18.31 ฿585

222.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.92 A$55.7

$60.9 ฿1,948

-36.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.66 A$22.39

$17.23 ฿551

-9.11%

Cinema Ticket

$12.88 A$18.42

$8.71 ฿278

47.88%

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

$1,607 A$2,299

$698 ฿22.3K

130.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K A$17.4K

$15.7K ฿503.0K

-22.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 A$123

$57.6 ฿1,843

48.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.1 A$94.5

$34.24 ฿1,095

92.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 A$142

$113 ฿3,618

-12.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 A$196

$84.8 ฿2,711

61.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 A$1,723

$604 ฿19.3K

99.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,080 A$1,545

$436 ฿13.9K

147.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,045 A$2,924

$2,057 ฿65.8K

-0.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 A$2,622

$1,498 ฿47.9K

22.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,552 A$9,369

$4,252 ฿135.9K

54.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,146 A$7,359

$2,988 ฿95.5K

72.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,603 A$6,582

$529 ฿16.9K

769.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.96

5.33

30.58%

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

Last update for Cairns: March 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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