Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moe and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,334 in Moe, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Moe
Learn more

Moe Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Moe

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,334

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,334 in Moe versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Moe $2,334
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,461 in Moe versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Moe $3,461
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,588 in Moe versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Moe $4,588
Phuket $3,154

Living in Moe is roughly 83% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Moe is 71% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.15 A$20.20

$4.47 ฿151

216.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 A$112

$32.41 ฿1,092

142.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 A$14.37

$8.81 ฿297

14.19%

Cappuccino

$3.76 A$5.36

$2.83 ฿95.3

32.86%

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

$3.04 A$4.34

$0.87 ฿29.37

249.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 A$1.98

$0.49 ฿16.64

181.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 A$7.49

$2.56 ฿86.2

104.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.95

$3.68 ฿124

32.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 A$1.15

$1.66 ฿55.9

-51.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 A$4.10

$1.46 ฿49.25

96.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.63

$1.50 ฿50.4

69.33%

Eggs

$3.45 A$4.93

$2.09 ฿70.4

65.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 A$14.84

$19.07 ฿642

-45.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 A$11.63

$3.30 ฿111

146.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.14 A$21.62

$10.91 ฿368

38.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.93 ฿98.7

-1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.96

$1.69 ฿56.9

63.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 A$4.23

$2.25 ฿75.7

31.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 A$6.36

$2.08 ฿70.0

113.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 A$3.08

$1.51 ฿50.9

42.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.65

$1.38 ฿46.47

85.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$1.07 ฿35.91

131.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 A$2.03

$0.52 ฿17.49

173.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.23 A$44.59

$4.20 ฿142

643.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.11

$18.79 ฿633

-32.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 A$5.07

$1.82 ฿61.4

95.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 A$4.93

$2.84 ฿95.7

21.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 A$3.84

$1.45 ฿48.93

85.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.9 A$121

$56.7 ฿1,909

49.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 A$3.34

$3.02 ฿102

-22.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.02

$1.02 ฿34.29

39.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.61 A$35.15

$3.69 ฿124

566.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.68

$1.47 ฿49.70

-19.73%

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

$29.4K A$42.0K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

9.84%

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

$26.3K A$37.6K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-1.31%

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

$157 A$224

$96.4 ฿3,247

63.01%

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

$27.69 A$39.55

$11.26 ฿380

145.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.9 A$82.7

$16.85 ฿568

243.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 A$79.0

$67.2 ฿2,266

-17.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.68 A$22.40

$10.73 ฿361

46.13%

Cinema Ticket

$17.64 A$25.20

$7.50 ฿253

135.20%

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

$2,451 A$3,500

$476 ฿16.0K

415.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K A$42.9K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

166.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.8 A$117

$62.4 ฿2,102

31.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.33 A$70.5

$28.41 ฿957

73.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$94.3 ฿3,178

27.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$189

$85.8 ฿2,892

54.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 A$1,755

$716 ฿24.1K

71.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 A$1,641

$491 ฿16.5K

134.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,492 A$3,558

$1,927 ฿64.9K

29.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 A$2,701

$1,431 ฿48.2K

32.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,872 A$8,386

$4,175 ฿140.7K

40.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,018 A$7,166

$3,045 ฿102.6K

64.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,411 A$2,016

$502 ฿16.9K

180.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Moe: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moe

$1.1K 49.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 57.3% $658

Groceries & Markets

Moe

$332 14.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 19.8% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moe

$243 10.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 48.7% $118

Eating Out

Moe

$242 10.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 49.7% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Moe

$173 7.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 29.4% $51

Getting Around

Moe

$105 4.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 32.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Moe

$91 3.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 9.2% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Moe and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Moe pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $79 in Moe vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $332 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Moe

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

13:38 1:38 PM

4 h behind Moe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,700

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Moe Phuket 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Moe
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

Moe vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Moe. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Moe is about 2.8 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: $1,229 in Moe versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Moe. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $79 in Moe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,334 in Moe, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Moe. 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, Moe and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Moe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.