Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Derby, Australia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,353 in Derby, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Derby
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Derby Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Derby

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,353

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,353 in Derby versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Derby $2,353
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,668 in Derby versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Derby $3,668
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,983 in Derby versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Derby $4,983
Phuket $3,154

Living in Derby is roughly 84% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Derby is 73% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.57 A$27.81

$4.47 ฿151

337.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 A$118

$32.41 ฿1,094

157.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 A$15.71

$8.81 ฿297

25.54%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.47

$2.83 ฿95.5

60.78%

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

$2.82 A$4.01

$0.87 ฿29.43

224.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.56

$0.49 ฿16.67

412.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 A$9.40

$2.56 ฿86.4

158.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.46 A$12.02

$3.68 ฿124

129.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.66 ฿56.0

-19.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.12

$1.46 ฿49.35

98.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.16

$1.50 ฿50.6

48.00%

Eggs

$4.96 A$7.04

$2.09 ฿70.5

137.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.02 A$11.40

$19.07 ฿644

-57.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 A$14.85

$3.30 ฿111

216.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 A$19.00

$10.91 ฿368

22.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.60

$2.93 ฿99.0

34.47%

Banana (1kg)

$3.50 A$4.98

$1.69 ฿57.1

107.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.42

$2.25 ฿75.8

38.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 A$6.14

$2.08 ฿70.1

107.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 A$3.68

$1.51 ฿51.0

71.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.89

$1.38 ฿46.56

98.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 A$3.16

$1.07 ฿35.99

107.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.18

$0.52 ฿17.52

194.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.60 A$54.9

$4.20 ฿142

819.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 A$17.30

$18.79 ฿634

-35.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.95 A$7.04

$1.82 ฿61.5

171.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 A$6.63

$2.84 ฿95.9

64.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 A$3.78

$1.45 ฿49.03

83.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.0 A$102

$56.7 ฿1,913

27.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 A$5.72

$3.02 ฿102

33.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.02 ฿34.36

56.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.43 A$51.8

$3.69 ฿125

887.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.47 ฿49.81

-6.80%

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

$25.6K A$36.3K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-4.49%

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

$28.8K A$41.0K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

8.07%

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

$184 A$262

$96.4 ฿3,254

91.09%

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

$23.63 A$33.58

$11.26 ฿380

109.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 A$75.3

$16.85 ฿569

214.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 A$91.4

$67.2 ฿2,270

-4.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.35 A$23.24

$10.73 ฿362

52.38%

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 A$21.13

$7.50 ฿253

98.27%

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

$2,188 A$3,109

$476 ฿16.1K

359.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K A$30.5K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

90.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 A$121

$62.4 ฿2,106

36.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.33 A$70.1

$28.41 ฿959

73.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$171

$94.3 ฿3,184

27.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$185

$85.8 ฿2,898

52.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 A$2,003

$716 ฿24.2K

96.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 A$1,497

$491 ฿16.6K

114.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,991 A$2,829

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 A$2,898

$1,431 ฿48.3K

42.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,153 A$8,742

$4,175 ฿141.0K

47.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,074 A$7,210

$3,045 ฿102.8K

66.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Derby: 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

Derby

$1.1K 44.8%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 53.4% $563

Groceries & Markets

Derby

$361 15.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 26.3% $95

Eating Out

Derby

$316 13.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 61.4% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Derby

$261 11.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 52.3% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Derby

$173 7.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 29.7% $51

Getting Around

Derby

$95 4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 25.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Derby

$94 4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 12.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,410 in Derby and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Derby vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Derby

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

23:50 11:50 PM

1 h behind Derby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,300

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 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 = 0.704 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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Between locations

Derby Phuket 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Derby
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

Derby vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Derby and Phuket differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($2,353 vs $1,278 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,530 in Derby and $1,917 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: $1,410 in Derby versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $83 in Derby. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,353 in Derby, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Derby. 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, Derby 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 46% less than in Derby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.