Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Margaret River and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,642 in Margaret River, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Margaret River
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Margaret River Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Margaret River

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,642

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,642 per month in Margaret River vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Margaret River $2,642
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $3,774 per month in Margaret River vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Margaret River $3,774
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $4,907 per month in Margaret River vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Margaret River $4,907
Phuket $3,115

Margaret River costs about 104% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Margaret River sits 95% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 A$29.80

$4.39 ฿147

376.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 A$120

$32.31 ฿1,078

160.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.91 A$15.55

$8.70 ฿290

25.40%

Cappuccino

$4.51 A$6.43

$2.72 ฿90.9

65.81%

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

$2.92 A$4.16

$0.93 ฿31.06

213.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.17

$0.50 ฿16.67

344.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.27 A$11.79

$2.53 ฿84.5

226.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.36 A$11.92

$3.63 ฿121

130.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.48

$1.74 ฿58.1

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 A$4.41

$1.45 ฿48.42

113.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.94

$1.50 ฿50.1

37.33%

Eggs

$5.17 A$7.37

$2.17 ฿72.5

138.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 A$13.31

$19.09 ฿637

-51.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 A$13.26

$3.40 ฿113

173.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.12 A$20.12

$10.90 ฿364

29.54%

Apples (1kg)

$4.67 A$6.66

$2.94 ฿98.2

58.84%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.48

$1.69 ฿56.5

86.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.89

$2.19 ฿73.2

56.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 A$6.82

$2.12 ฿70.9

125.47%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.03

$1.46 ฿48.68

93.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 A$2.72

$1.37 ฿45.66

39.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 A$3.13

$1.08 ฿35.91

103.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 A$2.01

$0.55 ฿18.21

156.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.03 A$59.9

$4.43 ฿148

848.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.83 A$18.29

$18.25 ฿609

-29.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.36 A$6.21

$1.77 ฿59.2

146.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 A$5.03

$2.88 ฿96.2

22.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.72 A$3.87

$1.45 ฿48.32

87.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.9 A$121

$54.9 ฿1,832

54.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.04

$1.51 ฿50.5

134.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 A$2.01

$0.78 ฿25.90

80.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.36 A$57.5

$3.84 ฿128

951.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 A$2.04

$1.49 ฿49.65

-4.03%

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

$30.6K A$43.6K

$26.9K ฿897.3K

13.91%

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

$28.1K A$40.1K

$26.3K ฿879.4K

6.71%

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

$202 A$287

$97.8 ฿3,265

106.15%

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

$32.62 A$46.48

$11.29 ฿377

188.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 A$91.6

$17.19 ฿574

273.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 A$81.1

$68.3 ฿2,281

-16.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.68 A$25.19

$10.92 ฿365

61.90%

Cinema Ticket

$17.47 A$24.90

$7.43 ฿248

135.13%

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

$2,300 A$3,277

$530 ฿17.7K

333.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K A$33.3K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

24.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 A$112

$61.7 ฿2,059

27.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.2 A$90.0

$28.25 ฿943

123.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 A$176

$96.0 ฿3,204

28.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 A$233

$86.8 ฿2,898

88.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 A$1,976

$721 ฿24.1K

92.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,253 A$1,785

$509 ฿17.0K

146.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,279 A$3,247

$1,950 ฿65.1K

16.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 A$2,562

$1,397 ฿46.6K

28.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,747 A$8,190

$4,192 ฿139.9K

37.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,919 A$7,010

$3,298 ฿110.1K

49.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,984 A$4,252

$492 ฿16.4K

507.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.57

7.00%

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

Last update for Margaret River: 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

Margaret River

$1.3K 47.4%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 59.4% $744

Groceries & Markets

Margaret River

$367 13.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 27.2% $100

Eating Out

Margaret River

$333 12.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 64.1% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Margaret River

$299 11.3%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 57.7% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Margaret River

$193 7.3%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 36.5% $70

Getting Around

Margaret River

$106 4%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 37.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Margaret River

$92 3.5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 9.4% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,387 in Margaret River versus $721 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 Margaret River are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Margaret River versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Margaret River

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

22:47 10:47 PM

1 h behind Margaret River

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.702 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Margaret River Phuket 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Margaret River
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

Margaret River vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Margaret River is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,963 per month in Margaret River and $1,940 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 $721 there versus $1,387 in Margaret River.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Margaret River and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,642 in Margaret River and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 51% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Margaret River at $2,642. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Margaret River 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, Margaret River makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.