Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canberra and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,886 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,886

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,886 per month in Canberra vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Canberra $2,886
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $4,020 per month in Canberra vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Canberra $4,020
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,153 per month in Canberra vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Canberra $5,153
Phuket $3,154

Canberra costs about 126% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Canberra sits 112% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 A$29.53

$4.47 ฿151

364.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 A$128

$32.41 ฿1,094

177.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.43 A$14.83

$8.81 ฿297

18.39%

Cappuccino

$3.99 A$5.67

$2.83 ฿95.5

40.99%

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

$3.12 A$4.44

$0.87 ฿29.43

258.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 A$3.75

$0.49 ฿16.67

438.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.32 A$11.83

$2.56 ฿86.4

225.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.11 A$14.37

$3.68 ฿124

174.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.12

$1.66 ฿56.0

-10.24%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 A$4.47

$1.46 ฿49.35

115.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.59

$1.50 ฿50.6

68.67%

Eggs

$5.32 A$7.57

$2.09 ฿70.5

154.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 A$18.69

$19.07 ฿644

-31.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.98 A$14.19

$3.30 ฿111

202.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.08 A$21.44

$10.91 ฿368

38.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 A$5.72

$2.93 ฿99.0

37.54%

Banana (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.50

$1.69 ฿57.1

87.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 A$5.04

$2.25 ฿75.8

57.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.13 A$7.29

$2.08 ฿70.1

146.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$1.51 ฿51.0

113.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.03

$1.38 ฿46.56

105.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.07 ฿35.99

131.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$2.00

$0.52 ฿17.52

169.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.06 A$62.7

$4.20 ฿142

949.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.26 A$20.28

$18.79 ฿634

-24.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.81 A$6.85

$1.82 ฿61.5

164.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 A$8.08

$2.84 ฿95.9

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 A$3.60

$1.45 ฿49.03

74.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.8 A$135

$56.7 ฿1,913

67.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 A$5.68

$3.02 ฿102

32.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.35

$1.02 ฿34.36

61.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.56 A$60.5

$3.69 ฿125

1053.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.47 ฿49.81

-9.52%

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

$28.0K A$39.8K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

4.50%

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

$26.3K A$37.4K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.50%

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

$184 A$262

$96.4 ฿3,254

91.24%

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

$26.57 A$37.78

$11.26 ฿380

135.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 A$79.5

$16.85 ฿569

231.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.4 A$113

$67.2 ฿2,270

18.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.81 A$39.55

$10.73 ฿362

159.18%

Cinema Ticket

$16.02 A$22.78

$7.50 ฿253

113.60%

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

$2,460 A$3,498

$476 ฿16.1K

416.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.3K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

82.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 A$108

$62.4 ฿2,106

22.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 A$81.7

$28.41 ฿959

102.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$153

$94.3 ฿3,184

13.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$189

$85.8 ฿2,898

54.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,749 A$2,486

$716 ฿24.2K

144.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 A$2,126

$491 ฿16.6K

204.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,065 A$4,358

$1,927 ฿65.1K

59.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,978 A$2,813

$1,431 ฿48.3K

38.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K A$15.8K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

165.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,790 A$11.1K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

155.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,317 A$6,139

$502 ฿17.0K

759.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Canberra: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 67.2% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Canberra

$397 13.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 33% $131

Eating Out

Canberra

$330 11.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 63.1% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canberra

$267 9.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 53.3% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Canberra

$168 5.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 27.5% $46

Getting Around

Canberra

$117 4.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 39.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Canberra

$111 3.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 26.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,749 in Canberra versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Canberra are about 8.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Canberra versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Canberra

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

18:03 6:03 PM

4 h behind Canberra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

466,566 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 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 = 0.703 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Canberra Phuket 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Canberra
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

Canberra vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,886 in Canberra, $1,278 in Phuket – roughly 126% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,329 per month in Canberra and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,749 in Canberra.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,886 in Canberra and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 126%.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Canberra at $2,886. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Canberra it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Canberra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.