Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esperance and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,558 in Esperance, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Esperance
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Esperance Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Esperance

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,558

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,558 per month in Esperance vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Esperance $2,558
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $3,665 per month in Esperance vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Esperance $3,665
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $4,771 per month in Esperance vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Esperance $4,771
Phuket $3,115

Esperance costs about 98% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Esperance sits 89% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.24 A$24.73

$4.39 ฿148

292.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 A$120

$32.31 ฿1,090

158.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 A$15.01

$8.70 ฿294

20.23%

Cappuccino

$4.03 A$5.78

$2.72 ฿91.9

48.16%

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

$2.93 A$4.20

$0.93 ฿31.38

215.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 A$3.17

$0.50 ฿16.85

342.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 A$11.10

$2.53 ฿85.4

205.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.50 A$10.76

$3.63 ฿122

106.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.26

$1.74 ฿58.7

-9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 A$3.84

$1.45 ฿48.93

84.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 A$3.35

$1.50 ฿50.7

56.00%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.17

$2.17 ฿73.3

130.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.65

$19.09 ฿644

-50.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.51

$3.40 ฿115

177.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 A$21.60

$10.90 ฿368

38.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 A$5.51

$2.94 ฿99.2

30.61%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.34

$1.69 ฿57.1

79.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 A$4.72

$2.19 ฿74.0

50.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.59

$2.12 ฿71.6

116.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.93

$1.46 ฿49.19

87.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.37 ฿46.14

81.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.46

$1.08 ฿36.29

123.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 A$2.24

$0.55 ฿18.40

183.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.02 A$60.3

$4.43 ฿149

848.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$20.07

$18.25 ฿616

-23.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.79 A$6.87

$1.77 ฿59.8

170.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 A$7.38

$2.88 ฿97.2

78.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.45 ฿48.82

91.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.9 A$120

$54.9 ฿1,851

52.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 A$5.11

$1.51 ฿51.0

135.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.28

$0.78 ฿26.17

103.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.58 A$56.8

$3.84 ฿129

930.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.49 ฿50.2

-8.72%

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

$29.4K A$42.1K

$26.9K ฿906.7K

9.20%

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

$25.9K A$37.2K

$26.3K ฿888.6K

-1.50%

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

$206 A$296

$97.8 ฿3,299

110.99%

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

$27.93 A$40.07

$11.29 ฿381

147.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.5 A$82.4

$17.19 ฿580

234.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$80.4

$68.3 ฿2,305

-17.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.91 A$25.69

$10.92 ฿368

64.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.11 A$20.24

$7.43 ฿251

89.91%

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

$2,167 A$3,108

$530 ฿17.9K

308.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K A$29.7K

$18.8K ฿633.5K

10.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 A$113

$61.7 ฿2,080

27.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 A$77.3

$28.25 ฿953

90.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$155

$96.0 ฿3,238

12.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$86.8 ฿2,928

40.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,413 A$2,028

$721 ฿24.3K

96.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 A$1,795

$509 ฿17.2K

145.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,252 A$3,231

$1,950 ฿65.8K

15.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 A$2,646

$1,397 ฿47.1K

32.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,806 A$8,330

$4,192 ฿141.4K

38.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,967 A$7,127

$3,298 ฿111.3K

50.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,547 A$5,089

$492 ฿16.6K

621.62%

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 Esperance: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Esperance

$1.3K 48.9%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 59.3% $742

Groceries & Markets

Esperance

$370 14.5%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 27.8% $103

Eating Out

Esperance

$292 11.4%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 59% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esperance

$292 11.4%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 56.7% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Esperance

$163 6.4%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 24.8% $40

Getting Around

Esperance

$107 4.2%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 38% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Esperance

$84 3.3%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 1.3% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,413 in Esperance versus $721 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 Esperance are about 7.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Esperance versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Esperance

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

16:38 4:38 PM

1 h behind Esperance

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,218

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.697 USD

1 AUD = 0.622 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.697 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.622 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Esperance Phuket 5,260 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Esperance
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

Esperance vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,558 in Esperance, $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 49% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,838 per month in Esperance and $1,940 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 $721 there versus $1,413 in Esperance.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Esperance and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,558 in Esperance and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 49% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Esperance at $2,558. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Esperance 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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