Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hervey Bay and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,403 in Hervey Bay, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Hervey Bay
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Hervey Bay Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Hervey Bay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,403

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,403 per month in Hervey Bay vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Hervey Bay $2,403
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,452 per month in Hervey Bay vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Hervey Bay $3,452
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,500 per month in Hervey Bay vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Hervey Bay $4,500
Phuket $3,154

Hervey Bay costs about 88% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hervey Bay sits 77% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.48 A$24.84

$4.47 ฿151

291.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 A$106

$32.41 ฿1,094

129.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 A$15.00

$8.81 ฿297

19.86%

Cappuccino

$3.85 A$5.47

$2.83 ฿95.5

36.04%

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

$2.90 A$4.11

$0.87 ฿29.43

233.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.21

$0.49 ฿16.67

361.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.99 A$8.51

$2.56 ฿86.4

133.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 A$11.70

$3.68 ฿124

123.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.31

$1.66 ฿56.0

-2.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 A$3.85

$1.46 ฿49.35

85.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.15

$1.50 ฿50.6

47.33%

Eggs

$4.76 A$6.77

$2.09 ฿70.5

127.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 A$12.98

$19.07 ฿644

-52.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.35 A$13.29

$3.30 ฿111

183.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 A$20.48

$10.91 ฿368

32.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 A$6.11

$2.93 ฿99.0

46.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.47

$1.69 ฿57.1

85.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.29

$2.25 ฿75.8

34.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.96 A$7.05

$2.08 ฿70.1

138.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.86

$1.51 ฿51.0

80.13%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 A$3.45

$1.38 ฿46.56

76.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 A$3.26

$1.07 ฿35.99

114.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 A$1.69

$0.52 ฿17.52

128.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.10 A$54.1

$4.20 ฿142

807.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.47 A$17.72

$18.79 ฿634

-33.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.35

$1.82 ฿61.5

184.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 A$7.28

$2.84 ฿95.9

80.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.94 A$4.18

$1.45 ฿49.03

102.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.7 A$115

$56.7 ฿1,913

42.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 A$4.40

$3.02 ฿102

2.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 A$2.58

$1.02 ฿34.36

77.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.81 A$59.4

$3.69 ฿125

1033.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.47 ฿49.81

-1.36%

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

$29.5K A$41.9K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

10.08%

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

$25.8K A$36.6K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-3.40%

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

$163 A$231

$96.4 ฿3,254

68.79%

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

$25.76 A$36.60

$11.26 ฿380

128.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.1 A$86.8

$16.85 ฿569

262.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.51 A$70.4

$67.2 ฿2,270

-26.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.99 A$22.72

$10.73 ฿362

49.02%

Cinema Ticket

$13.76 A$19.56

$7.50 ฿253

83.47%

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

$2,043 A$2,903

$476 ฿16.1K

329.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K A$18.1K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

13.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.3 A$90.0

$62.4 ฿2,106

1.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.32 A$63.0

$28.41 ฿959

56.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.3 A$89.9

$94.3 ฿3,184

-32.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.8 A$90.7

$85.8 ฿2,898

-25.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 A$1,990

$716 ฿24.2K

95.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 A$1,731

$491 ฿16.6K

148.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,268 A$3,223

$1,927 ฿65.1K

17.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,834 A$2,606

$1,431 ฿48.3K

28.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,566 A$7,909

$4,175 ฿141.0K

33.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,622 A$6,568

$3,045 ฿102.8K

51.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,751 A$3,909

$502 ฿17.0K

447.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.57

4.31%

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

Last update for Hervey Bay: 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

Hervey Bay

$1.2K 50.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 59.7% $728

Groceries & Markets

Hervey Bay

$363 15.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 26.7% $97

Eating Out

Hervey Bay

$285 11.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 57.3% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hervey Bay

$249 10.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 50.1% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Hervey Bay

$106 4.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 15.4% $16

Getting Around

Hervey Bay

$105 4.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 32.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Hervey Bay

$77 3.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 6.7% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,400 in Hervey Bay versus $716 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 Hervey Bay are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Hervey Bay versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Hervey Bay

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

3 h behind Hervey Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,722

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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hervey Bay Phuket 6,950 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hervey Bay
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

Hervey Bay vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hervey Bay is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,605 per month in Hervey Bay and $1,917 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 $716 there versus $1,400 in Hervey Bay.

Kindergarten costs $2,043 per month in Hervey Bay and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Hervey Bay, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Hervey Bay at $2,403. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hervey Bay 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, Hervey Bay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.