Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gladstone and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,533 in Gladstone, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Gladstone
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Gladstone Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Gladstone

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,533

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,533 in Gladstone versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Gladstone $2,533
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,459 in Gladstone versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Gladstone $3,459
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,385 in Gladstone versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Gladstone $4,385
Phuket $3,154

Living in Gladstone is roughly 98% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gladstone is 86% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 A$25.13

$4.47 ฿151

295.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 A$115

$32.41 ฿1,094

150.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 A$16.90

$8.81 ฿297

34.96%

Cappuccino

$4.13 A$5.86

$2.83 ฿95.5

45.94%

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

$3.10 A$4.41

$0.87 ฿29.43

256.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 A$3.91

$0.49 ฿16.67

461.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.52 A$10.68

$2.56 ฿86.4

193.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.28 A$13.19

$3.68 ฿124

152.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.66 ฿56.0

-8.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 A$3.88

$1.46 ฿49.35

86.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.27

$1.50 ฿50.6

53.33%

Eggs

$4.85 A$6.89

$2.09 ฿70.5

132.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 A$13.12

$19.07 ฿644

-51.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.08

$3.30 ฿111

179.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.60

$10.91 ฿368

32.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 A$5.45

$2.93 ฿99.0

30.72%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.43

$1.69 ฿57.1

84.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.69

$2.25 ฿75.8

46.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 A$6.64

$2.08 ฿70.1

124.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.74

$1.51 ฿51.0

74.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$1.38 ฿46.56

72.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.42

$1.07 ฿35.99

125.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 A$2.29

$0.52 ฿17.52

209.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.88 A$59.5

$4.20 ฿142

897.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 A$19.77

$18.79 ฿634

-25.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 A$6.90

$1.82 ฿61.5

166.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 A$7.60

$2.84 ฿95.9

88.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.02

$1.45 ฿49.03

95.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.8 A$121

$56.7 ฿1,913

49.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 A$5.71

$3.02 ฿102

33.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 A$1.98

$1.02 ฿34.36

36.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.05 A$62.6

$3.69 ฿125

1093.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.80

$1.47 ฿49.81

-13.61%

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

$26.9K A$38.2K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

0.39%

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

$24.9K A$35.4K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-6.61%

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

$205 A$291

$96.4 ฿3,254

112.52%

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

$27.56 A$39.16

$11.26 ฿380

144.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 A$77.2

$16.85 ฿569

222.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$79.7

$67.2 ฿2,270

-16.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 A$25.05

$10.73 ฿362

64.31%

Cinema Ticket

$13.90 A$19.76

$7.50 ฿253

85.33%

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

$1,958 A$2,783

$476 ฿16.1K

311.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$28.9K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

80.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$100.0

$62.4 ฿2,106

12.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.5 A$88.8

$28.41 ฿959

119.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 A$140

$94.3 ฿3,184

4.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$174

$85.8 ฿2,898

42.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 A$1,963

$716 ฿24.2K

92.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,737

$491 ฿16.6K

149.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 A$1,947

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-28.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 A$2,082

$1,431 ฿48.3K

2.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,583 A$7,933

$4,175 ฿141.0K

33.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,980 A$7,076

$3,045 ฿102.8K

63.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,599 A$7,956

$502 ฿17.0K

1014.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Gladstone: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gladstone

$1.2K 48.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 59.9% $732

Groceries & Markets

Gladstone

$367 14.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 27.5% $101

Eating Out

Gladstone

$306 12.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 60.3% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gladstone

$287 11.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 56.6% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Gladstone

$159 6.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 23.5% $37

Getting Around

Gladstone

$107 4.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 34.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Gladstone

$84 3.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 2% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,381 in Gladstone and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gladstone pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Gladstone vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $367 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Gladstone

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

22:22 10:22 PM

3 h behind Gladstone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,703

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

Gladstone Phuket 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Gladstone
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

Gladstone vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Gladstone. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Gladstone is about 11 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: $1,381 in Gladstone versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,533 per month in Gladstone versus $1,278 in Phuket – a 98% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 33% less than in Gladstone. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,533 in Gladstone, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Gladstone. 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, Gladstone 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 50% less than in Gladstone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.