Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Coffs Harbour and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,468 in Coffs Harbour, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Coffs Harbour
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Coffs Harbour Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Coffs Harbour

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,468

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,468 in Coffs Harbour versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Coffs Harbour $2,468
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,579 in Coffs Harbour versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Coffs Harbour $3,579
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,690 in Coffs Harbour versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Coffs Harbour $4,690
Phuket $3,154

Living in Coffs Harbour is roughly 93% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Coffs Harbour is 81% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.25 A$20.34

$4.47 ฿151

218.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 A$148

$32.41 ฿1,093

220.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.87 A$12.67

$8.81 ฿297

0.68%

Cappuccino

$3.77 A$5.39

$2.83 ฿95.4

33.22%

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

$2.86 A$4.09

$0.87 ฿29.40

228.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 A$2.78

$0.49 ฿16.65

297.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.37 A$7.67

$2.56 ฿86.3

109.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 A$7.83

$3.68 ฿124

48.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.66 ฿55.9

-8.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 A$3.76

$1.46 ฿49.29

80.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.42

$1.50 ฿50.5

60.00%

Eggs

$3.36 A$4.80

$2.09 ฿70.5

60.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 A$12.41

$19.07 ฿643

-54.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 A$10.15

$3.30 ฿111

115.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 A$19.65

$10.91 ฿368

26.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.98 A$5.68

$2.93 ฿98.8

35.84%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.41

$1.69 ฿57.0

82.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.96

$2.25 ฿75.7

54.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 A$5.93

$2.08 ฿70.0

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 A$2.04

$1.51 ฿51.0

-5.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.49

$1.38 ฿46.51

76.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.52 A$3.60

$1.07 ฿35.95

135.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.38

$0.52 ฿17.50

355.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$32.01 A$45.68

$4.20 ฿142

662.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.22 A$20.29

$18.79 ฿634

-24.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.05 A$8.63

$1.82 ฿61.4

232.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 A$9.46

$2.84 ฿95.8

133.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.72 A$6.74

$1.45 ฿48.97

225.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 A$3.01

$3.02 ฿102

-30.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.27

$1.02 ฿34.32

55.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.69 A$50.9

$3.69 ฿124

867.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.88

$1.47 ฿49.75

-10.20%

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

$28.9K A$41.3K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

8.10%

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

$26.7K A$38.1K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

0.01%

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

$175 A$249

$96.4 ฿3,250

81.35%

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

$10.59 A$15.11

$11.26 ฿380

-5.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 A$76.9

$16.85 ฿568

219.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 A$154

$67.2 ฿2,268

60.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 A$19.20

$7.50 ฿253

79.33%

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

$2,183 A$3,116

$476 ฿16.1K

358.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K A$16.8K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

4.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 A$110

$62.4 ฿2,103

23.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.5 A$76.4

$28.41 ฿958

88.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 A$146

$94.3 ฿3,180

8.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$85.8 ฿2,894

44.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 A$1,997

$716 ฿24.1K

95.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,302 A$1,858

$491 ฿16.6K

165.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,111 A$3,013

$1,927 ฿65.0K

9.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,945 A$2,776

$1,431 ฿48.3K

35.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,566 A$5,089

$4,175 ฿140.8K

-14.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,623 A$5,172

$3,045 ฿102.7K

19.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,275 A$4,674

$502 ฿16.9K

552.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.69

5.57

2.15%

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

Last update for Coffs Harbour: 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

Coffs Harbour

$1.3K 52.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 62.3% $811

Groceries & Markets

Coffs Harbour

$360 14.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 26.1% $94

Eating Out

Coffs Harbour

$243 9.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 49.9% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Coffs Harbour

$239 9.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 48% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Coffs Harbour

$161 6.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 24.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Coffs Harbour

$135 5.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 38.9% $52

Getting Around

Coffs Harbour

$29 * 1.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 144% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,399 in Coffs Harbour and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Coffs Harbour pays about 6.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $104 in Coffs Harbour vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Coffs Harbour

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

4 h behind Coffs Harbour

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,759

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Coffs Harbour Phuket 7,210 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Coffs Harbour
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

Coffs Harbour vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 48% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Coffs Harbour is about 6.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,399 in Coffs Harbour versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 35% higher in Coffs Harbour. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,468 per month in Coffs Harbour versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 48% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,468 in Coffs Harbour, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Coffs Harbour. 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, Coffs Harbour and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Coffs Harbour on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.