Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maroochydore and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,355 in Maroochydore, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Maroochydore
Learn more

Maroochydore Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Maroochydore

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,355

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,355 per month in Maroochydore vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Maroochydore $2,355
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $3,592 per month in Maroochydore vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Maroochydore $3,592
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $4,828 per month in Maroochydore vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Maroochydore $4,828
Phuket $2,867

Maroochydore costs about 95% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Maroochydore sits 74% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.05 A$20.23

$4.58 ฿153

206.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.7 A$138

$32.48 ฿1,086

194.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 A$13.01

$8.55 ฿286

5.73%

Cappuccino

$3.77 A$5.42

$2.72 ฿91.0

38.60%

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

$2.58 A$3.72

$0.94 ฿31.25

174.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 A$3.08

$0.49 ฿16.39

336.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 A$5.91

$2.59 ฿86.6

58.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 A$10.72

$3.83 ฿128

94.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 A$2.23

$1.74 ฿58.1

-10.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.61 A$3.75

$1.43 ฿47.82

82.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.42

$1.53 ฿51.0

55.56%

Eggs

$4.76 A$6.85

$2.17 ฿72.7

119.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 A$12.52

$19.15 ฿640

-54.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.20 A$13.24

$3.30 ฿110

178.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 A$21.41

$11.14 ฿372

33.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.60

$2.95 ฿98.5

32.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.48

$1.68 ฿56.1

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.71

$2.30 ฿76.8

12.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 A$5.37

$2.13 ฿71.3

75.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 A$3.74

$1.53 ฿51.1

69.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 A$3.03

$1.36 ฿45.55

54.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.53 A$3.65

$1.12 ฿37.44

125.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 A$2.13

$0.55 ฿18.24

169.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.93 A$34.44

$4.26 ฿142

461.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.54 A$15.17

$18.19 ฿608

-42.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.98 A$8.60

$1.74 ฿58.2

243.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.78 A$8.32

$2.79 ฿93.3

107.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 A$0.96

$2.22 ฿74.1

-69.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.2 A$104

$22.06 ฿737

227.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 A$2.89

$2.91 ฿97.3

-30.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 A$2.12

$1.01 ฿33.79

45.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.38 A$52.4

$3.83 ฿128

849.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.97

$1.49 ฿49.85

-8.05%

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

$26.8K A$38.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

0.27%

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

$23.3K A$33.5K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-12.96%

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

$217 A$312

$99.4 ฿3,321

118.01%

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

$30.09 A$43.29

$11.28 ฿377

166.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 A$78.2

$17.36 ฿580

212.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 A$82.1

$52.3 ฿1,747

9.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.66 A$25.41

$10.85 ฿362

62.76%

Cinema Ticket

$13.18 A$18.96

$7.57 ฿253

74.11%

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

$2,157 A$3,105

$558 ฿18.7K

286.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K A$16.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

2.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 A$110

$62.9 ฿2,102

21.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 A$77.3

$28.58 ฿955

87.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 A$151

$96.1 ฿3,213

9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 A$174

$88.1 ฿2,943

37.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,164 A$1,675

$729 ฿24.4K

59.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 A$1,627

$460 ฿15.4K

145.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,054 A$2,956

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-2.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 A$2,912

$1,222 ฿40.8K

65.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,041 A$8,693

$3,459 ฿115.6K

74.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,962 A$8,579

$2,489 ฿83.2K

139.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,836 A$4,080

$493 ฿16.5K

475.11%

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 Maroochydore: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maroochydore

$1.1K 48%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 59.3% $671

Groceries & Markets

Maroochydore

$356 15.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 24.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maroochydore

$301 12.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 57.5% $173

Eating Out

Maroochydore

$239 10.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 49.3% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Maroochydore

$160 6.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 22.6% $36

Getting Around

Maroochydore

$84 3.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 53.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Maroochydore

$83 3.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 19.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,164 in Maroochydore 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 475% higher in Maroochydore, 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 $96.0 in Maroochydore versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Maroochydore

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:05 9:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

3 h behind Maroochydore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,342

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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Maroochydore Phuket 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Maroochydore
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

Maroochydore vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,355 in Maroochydore, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 95% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,533 per month in Maroochydore 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.

Public transport costs about 227% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,157 per month in Maroochydore and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Maroochydore at $2,355. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maroochydore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $2,355 in Maroochydore. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Maroochydore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.