Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gold Coast and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,888 in Gold Coast, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
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Gold Coast Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,888

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,888 in Gold Coast versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Gold Coast $2,888
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,457 in Gold Coast versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Gold Coast $4,457
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,027 in Gold Coast versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Gold Coast $6,027
Phuket $3,115

Living in Gold Coast is roughly 123% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gold Coast is 114% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.60 A$29.36

$4.39 ฿147

369.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 A$150

$32.31 ฿1,078

226.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.67 A$15.20

$8.70 ฿290

22.64%

Cappuccino

$3.78 A$5.39

$2.72 ฿90.9

38.97%

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

$2.91 A$4.15

$0.93 ฿31.06

212.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.38

$0.50 ฿16.67

374.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 A$11.09

$2.53 ฿84.5

207.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.63 A$10.87

$3.63 ฿121

110.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.17

$1.74 ฿58.1

-12.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.74 A$3.91

$1.45 ฿48.42

88.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 A$3.38

$1.50 ฿50.1

58.00%

Eggs

$4.74 A$6.76

$2.17 ฿72.5

118.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.77 A$12.50

$19.09 ฿637

-54.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.32 A$13.28

$3.40 ฿113

174.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.00 A$21.37

$10.90 ฿364

37.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 A$5.39

$2.94 ฿98.2

28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.47

$1.69 ฿56.5

85.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.76

$2.19 ฿73.2

52.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.17

$2.12 ฿70.9

104.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.57

$1.46 ฿48.68

71.23%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.60

$1.37 ฿45.66

84.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 A$3.62

$1.08 ฿35.91

135.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.26

$0.55 ฿18.21

314.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.15 A$64.3

$4.43 ฿148

919.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.44 A$20.57

$18.25 ฿609

-20.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.75 A$8.19

$1.77 ฿59.2

224.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.73 A$9.60

$2.88 ฿96.2

133.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 A$3.74

$1.45 ฿48.32

80.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.7 A$79.4

$54.9 ฿1,832

1.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 A$3.75

$1.51 ฿50.5

74.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.92 A$2.73

$0.78 ฿25.90

146.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.13 A$62.9

$3.84 ฿128

1049.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 A$1.96

$1.49 ฿49.65

-7.38%

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

$29.0K A$41.3K

$26.9K ฿897.3K

7.75%

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

$26.2K A$37.3K

$26.3K ฿879.4K

-0.54%

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

$221 A$315

$97.8 ฿3,265

126.11%

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

$30.11 A$42.91

$11.29 ฿377

166.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.6 A$77.8

$17.19 ฿574

217.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 A$84.3

$68.3 ฿2,281

-13.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.69 A$25.20

$10.92 ฿365

62.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 A$18.77

$7.43 ฿248

77.25%

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

$2,157 A$3,073

$530 ฿17.7K

306.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K A$33.1K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

23.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.6 A$111

$61.7 ฿2,059

25.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 A$77.9

$28.25 ฿943

93.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 A$146

$96.0 ฿3,204

6.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$86.8 ฿2,898

41.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,377 A$3,388

$721 ฿24.1K

229.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 A$2,219

$509 ฿17.0K

205.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,177 A$4,528

$1,950 ฿65.1K

62.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,958 A$4,216

$1,397 ฿46.6K

111.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K A$15.1K

$4,192 ฿139.9K

152.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,218 A$10.3K

$3,298 ฿110.1K

118.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,139 A$5,898

$492 ฿16.4K

741.92%

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 Gold Coast: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gold Coast

$1.6K 53.9%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 67.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Gold Coast

$383 13.3%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 30.3% $116

Eating Out

Gold Coast

$318 11%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 62.3% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gold Coast

$306 10.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 58.7% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Gold Coast

$161 5.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 23.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Gold Coast

$85 3%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 2.7% $2.3

Getting Around

Gold Coast

$78 2.7%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 15.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,377 in Gold Coast and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gold Coast pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $105 in Gold Coast vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $383 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

10:58 10:58 AM

3 h behind Gold Coast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,665

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 3 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gold Coast Phuket 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Gold Coast
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

Gold Coast vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,888 in Gold Coast and $1,294 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Gold Coast is about 8.4 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: $2,377 in Gold Coast versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Gold Coast. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,888 per month in Gold Coast versus $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,888 in Gold Coast, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Gold Coast. 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, Gold Coast 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, Gold Coast on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.