Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ningi and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,517 in Ningi, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ningi, Australia
Phuket, Thailand
Ningi
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,517
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,517 in Ningi versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Ningi $2,517
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,730 in Ningi versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Ningi $3,730
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,943 in Ningi versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Ningi $4,943
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Ningi is roughly 97% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ningi is 85% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ningi
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.92 A$29.73
$4.47 ฿151
368.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.9 A$98.0
$32.41 ฿1,093
112.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.82 A$9.70
$8.81 ฿297
-22.59%
Cappuccino
$2.61 A$3.71
$2.83 ฿95.4
-7.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 A$3.24
$0.87 ฿29.41
162.07%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.37 A$3.37
$0.49 ฿16.65
383.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.78 A$11.06
$2.56 ฿86.3
203.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.83 A$11.13
$3.68 ฿124
112.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ningi
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 A$2.22
$1.66 ฿55.9
-6.02%
White Bread (500g)
$2.65 A$3.77
$1.46 ฿49.31
81.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.41 A$3.42
$1.50 ฿50.5
60.67%
Eggs
$4.83 A$6.86
$2.09 ฿70.5
131.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.01 A$12.80
$19.07 ฿643
-52.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.33 A$13.26
$3.30 ฿111
182.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.84 A$21.09
$10.91 ฿368
36.02%
Apples (1kg)
$3.92 A$5.57
$2.93 ฿98.9
33.79%
Banana (1kg)
$3.09 A$4.39
$1.69 ฿57.0
82.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.51 A$4.99
$2.25 ฿75.8
56.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.14 A$5.88
$2.08 ฿70.0
99.04%
Potato (1kg)
$2.55 A$3.63
$1.51 ฿51.0
68.87%
Onion (1kg)
$2.51 A$3.56
$1.38 ฿46.52
81.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.57 A$3.66
$1.07 ฿35.96
140.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 A$2.26
$0.52 ฿17.51
205.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$45.56 A$64.8
$4.20 ฿142
984.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.38 A$20.43
$18.79 ฿634
-23.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$5.70 A$8.11
$1.82 ฿61.5
213.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.93 A$9.84
$2.84 ฿95.8
144.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Ningi
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.10 A$4.41
$1.45 ฿48.98
113.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$78.9 A$112
$56.7 ฿1,912
39.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.21 A$3.15
$3.02 ฿102
-26.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.64 A$2.33
$1.02 ฿34.33
60.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$36.53 A$51.9
$3.69 ฿125
889.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 A$1.85
$1.47 ฿49.76
-11.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K A$41.3K
$26.8K ฿903.4K
8.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K A$37.3K
$26.7K ฿900.5K
-1.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ningi
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$223 A$317
$96.4 ฿3,251
131.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.06 A$42.73
$11.26 ฿380
166.96%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.3 A$75.8
$16.85 ฿568
216.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ningi
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 A$74.3
$67.2 ฿2,268
-22.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.39 A$26.14
$10.73 ฿362
71.39%
Cinema Ticket
$13.33 A$18.95
$7.50 ฿253
77.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ningi
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,128 A$3,025
$476 ฿16.1K
347.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.7K A$16.6K
$11.3K ฿380.0K
3.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ningi
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.7 A$110
$62.4 ฿2,104
24.62%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.2 A$77.1
$28.41 ฿958
90.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$104 A$148
$94.3 ฿3,181
10.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 A$173
$85.8 ฿2,895
41.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ningi
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,580 A$2,245
$716 ฿24.2K
120.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 A$1,708
$491 ฿16.6K
144.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,241 A$3,185
$1,927 ฿65.0K
16.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,079 A$2,955
$1,431 ฿48.3K
45.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,618 A$9,407
$4,175 ฿140.9K
58.50%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,779 A$6,793
$3,045 ฿102.7K
56.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ningi
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$502 ฿16.9K
-
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 Ningi: 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
Ningi
$1.2K
Phuket
$491 59.1% $711
Groceries & Markets
Ningi
$375
Phuket
$266 29.1% $109
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ningi
$306
Phuket
$124 59.4% $182
Eating Out
Ningi
$292
Phuket
$122 58.4% $171
Clothing & Footwear
Ningi
$161
Phuket
$122 24.3% $39
Getting Around
Ningi
$102
Phuket
$71 30.6% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Ningi
$79
Phuket
$82 4.2% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,580 in Ningi and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $69 in Ningi vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Ningi
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
18:01 6:01 PM
15:01 3:01 PM
3 h behind Ningi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
5,000
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ningi Phuket 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ningi
  • 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
Ningi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Ningi and in Phuket?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,517 in Ningi and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Ningi compared to Phuket?
You’d need roughly $3,775 in Ningi and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Ningi and in Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,580 in Ningi versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $69 in Ningi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more expensive overall: Ningi or Phuket?
All in, you’ll spend $2,517 per month in Ningi versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,517 in Ningi, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ningi. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Ningi and Phuket?
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.
Is Ningi or Phuket safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Ningi and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Ningi or Phuket?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Ningi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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