Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,037 in Ipswich, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ipswich

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,037

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,037 per month in Ipswich vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Ipswich $2,037
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,901 per month in Ipswich vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Ipswich $2,901
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $3,766 per month in Ipswich vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Ipswich $3,766
Phuket $2,867

Ipswich costs about 69% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ipswich sits 51% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.50 A$45.33

$4.58 ฿153

587.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 A$107

$32.48 ฿1,086

128.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 A$14.36

$8.55 ฿286

16.73%

Cappuccino

$4.54 A$6.53

$2.72 ฿91.0

66.91%

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

$3.92 A$5.64

$0.94 ฿31.25

317.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.60

$0.49 ฿16.39

410.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.04 A$13.01

$2.59 ฿86.6

249.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 A$10.94

$3.83 ฿128

98.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 A$3.48

$1.74 ฿58.1

39.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 A$3.41

$1.43 ฿47.82

65.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.19

$1.53 ฿51.0

45.10%

Eggs

$7.14 A$10.27

$2.17 ฿72.7

229.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 A$10.53

$19.15 ฿640

-61.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 A$11.86

$3.30 ฿110

149.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.05 A$20.22

$11.14 ฿372

26.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 A$4.86

$2.95 ฿98.5

14.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$1.68 ฿56.1

52.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.10

$2.30 ฿76.8

23.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 A$5.41

$2.13 ฿71.3

76.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 A$2.87

$1.53 ฿51.1

30.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 A$2.95

$1.36 ฿45.55

50.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.12 ฿37.44

119.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 A$2.56

$0.55 ฿18.24

223.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.60 A$64.2

$4.26 ฿142

946.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.31 A$32.11

$18.19 ฿608

22.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.21 A$8.93

$1.74 ฿58.2

256.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 A$10.28

$2.79 ฿93.3

156.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 A$0.52

$2.22 ฿74.1

-83.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 A$3.14

$2.91 ฿97.3

-25.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.25

$1.01 ฿33.79

54.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.12 A$52.0

$3.83 ฿128

843.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.49 ฿49.85

-1.34%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

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

$90.9 A$131

$99.4 ฿3,321

-8.56%

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

$30.70 A$44.18

$11.28 ฿377

172.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 A$90.9

$17.36 ฿580

263.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.21 A$24.76

$52.3 ฿1,747

-67.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

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

$558 ฿18.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 A$1,476

$729 ฿24.4K

40.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 A$1,463

$460 ฿15.4K

120.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 A$2,038

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-32.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,018

$1,222 ฿40.8K

14.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,146 A$5,966

$493 ฿16.5K

740.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.98

5.57

7.36%

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

Last update for Ipswich: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ipswich

$1K 49.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 54.7% $556

Eating Out

Ipswich

$423 20.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 71.3% $301

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

$384 18.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 30.4% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

$185 9.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 30.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

$17 * 0.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 292% $50

Getting Around

Ipswich

$11 * 0.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 240% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

- * 0%

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Ipswich versus $729 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 run about 741% higher in Ipswich, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Ipswich versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ipswich

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

02:59 2:59 AM

3 h behind Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,208

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 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

Ipswich Phuket 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ipswich
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

Ipswich vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ipswich is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,055 per month in Ipswich and $1,811 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Ipswich, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Ipswich and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Ipswich at $2,037. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ipswich 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 have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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