Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,543 in Forbes, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,543 in Forbes versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Forbes $2,543
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,751 in Forbes versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Forbes $3,751
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,958 in Forbes versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Forbes $4,958
Phuket $3,154

Living in Forbes is roughly 99% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Forbes is 87% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 A$22.54

$4.47 ฿151

255.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 A$134

$32.41 ฿1,092

192.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 A$16.02

$8.81 ฿297

28.38%

Cappuccino

$3.52 A$4.99

$2.83 ฿95.3

24.38%

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

$2.99 A$4.23

$0.87 ฿29.37

243.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.36

$0.49 ฿16.64

383.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 A$9.89

$2.56 ฿86.2

172.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 A$10.49

$3.68 ฿124

101.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.40

$1.66 ฿55.9

1.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 A$3.43

$1.46 ฿49.25

65.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.03

$1.50 ฿50.4

42.67%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.08

$2.09 ฿70.4

139.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.40

$19.07 ฿642

-46.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.49

$3.30 ฿111

188.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 A$19.43

$10.91 ฿368

25.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 A$5.35

$2.93 ฿98.7

29.01%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.26

$1.69 ฿56.9

78.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 A$5.04

$2.25 ฿75.7

57.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.97

$2.08 ฿70.0

136.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.54

$1.51 ฿50.9

65.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.62

$1.38 ฿46.47

84.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 A$3.23

$1.07 ฿35.91

113.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 A$2.06

$0.52 ฿17.49

178.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.43 A$65.8

$4.20 ฿142

1005.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 A$17.51

$18.79 ฿633

-34.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 A$6.73

$1.82 ฿61.4

160.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 A$8.21

$2.84 ฿95.7

104.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 A$3.76

$1.45 ฿48.93

83.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$56.7 ฿1,909

38.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 A$5.25

$3.02 ฿102

22.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 A$2.44

$1.02 ฿34.29

68.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.70 A$64.7

$3.69 ฿124

1138.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.78

$1.47 ฿49.70

-14.97%

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

$33.8K A$47.9K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

26.31%

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

$28.1K A$39.9K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

5.46%

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

$195 A$276

$96.4 ฿3,247

102.28%

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

$23.66 A$33.52

$11.26 ฿380

110.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 A$75.6

$16.85 ฿568

216.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 A$83.7

$67.2 ฿2,266

-12.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 A$27.93

$10.73 ฿361

83.78%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 A$17.07

$7.50 ฿253

60.67%

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

$2,301 A$3,259

$476 ฿16.0K

383.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K A$30.2K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

89.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 A$114

$62.4 ฿2,102

29.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 A$80.4

$28.41 ฿957

99.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$165

$94.3 ฿3,178

23.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$175

$85.8 ฿2,892

44.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 A$2,207

$716 ฿24.1K

117.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,810

$491 ฿16.5K

160.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 A$3,488

$1,927 ฿64.9K

27.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 A$2,892

$1,431 ฿48.2K

42.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,228 A$7,405

$4,175 ฿140.7K

25.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,146 A$7,290

$3,045 ฿102.6K

69.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 Forbes: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 61.6% $787

Groceries & Markets

Forbes

$364 14.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 26.8% $98

Eating Out

Forbes

$275 10.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 55.7% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forbes

$272 10.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 54.2% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Forbes

$170 6.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 28.3% $48

Getting Around

Forbes

$101 4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 30.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Forbes

$83 3.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 1.2% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,558 in Forbes and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $95 in Forbes vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forbes

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:25 4:25 PM

12:25 12:25 PM

4 h behind Forbes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Forbes Phuket 6,950 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Forbes
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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

Forbes vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,543 in Forbes and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,814 in Forbes 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: $1,558 in Forbes versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,543 per month in Forbes versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 28% less than in Forbes. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,543 in Forbes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Forbes. 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, Forbes and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Forbes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.