Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Northam and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,572 in Northam, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Northam
Learn more

Northam Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Northam

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,572

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,572 in Northam versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Northam $2,572
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,691 in Northam versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Northam $3,691
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,809 in Northam versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Northam $4,809
Phuket $3,115

Living in Northam is roughly 99% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Northam is 90% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.68 A$29.84

$4.39 ฿147

371.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$122

$32.31 ฿1,080

162.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 A$15.78

$8.70 ฿291

25.75%

Cappuccino

$4.48 A$6.46

$2.72 ฿91.1

64.71%

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

$2.90 A$4.18

$0.93 ฿31.11

211.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 A$3.17

$0.50 ฿16.70

340.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.45 A$12.18

$2.53 ฿84.6

233.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.77

$3.63 ฿121

124.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.55

$1.74 ฿58.2

1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 A$3.75

$1.45 ฿48.51

79.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 A$2.85

$1.50 ฿50.2

32.00%

Eggs

$4.69 A$6.76

$2.17 ฿72.6

116.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.47 A$9.33

$19.09 ฿638

-66.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 A$13.12

$3.40 ฿114

167.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 A$20.48

$10.90 ฿364

30.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 A$3.99

$2.94 ฿98.3

-6.12%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.64

$1.69 ฿56.6

89.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.05

$2.19 ฿73.4

59.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$7.10

$2.12 ฿71.0

132.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 A$4.23

$1.46 ฿48.77

100.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 A$2.75

$1.37 ฿45.74

39.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.08 ฿35.98

113.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 A$0.98

$0.55 ฿18.24

23.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.81 A$61.8

$4.43 ฿148

866.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.44 A$4.97

$18.25 ฿610

-81.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.37 A$6.31

$1.77 ฿59.3

146.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 A$4.82

$2.88 ฿96.3

15.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 A$4.01

$1.45 ฿48.40

91.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 A$123

$54.9 ฿1,835

55.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 A$5.13

$1.51 ฿50.6

135.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 A$2.10

$0.78 ฿25.94

85.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.13 A$59.3

$3.84 ฿128

971.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.02

$1.49 ฿49.74

-6.04%

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

$30.3K A$43.7K

$26.9K ฿898.9K

12.75%

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

$27.3K A$39.4K

$26.3K ฿881.0K

3.77%

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

$209 A$302

$97.8 ฿3,271

113.75%

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

$24.31 A$35.07

$11.29 ฿378

115.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 A$93.7

$17.19 ฿575

278.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 A$79.3

$68.3 ฿2,285

-19.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 A$25.21

$10.92 ฿365

59.98%

Cinema Ticket

$17.29 A$24.95

$7.43 ฿248

132.71%

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

$2,334 A$3,367

$530 ฿17.7K

340.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.4K A$33.7K

$18.8K ฿628.1K

24.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 A$110

$61.7 ฿2,062

23.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 A$89.8

$28.25 ฿945

120.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$178

$96.0 ฿3,210

28.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 A$235

$86.8 ฿2,903

87.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 A$2,020

$721 ฿24.1K

94.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 A$1,788

$509 ฿17.0K

143.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,249 A$3,244

$1,950 ฿65.2K

15.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,820 A$2,625

$1,397 ฿46.7K

30.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,898 A$8,508

$4,192 ฿140.2K

40.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,898 A$7,066

$3,298 ฿110.3K

48.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

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 Northam: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Northam

$1.2K 48.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 59% $731

Eating Out

Northam

$331 12.9%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 63.9% $211

Groceries & Markets

Northam

$315 12.3%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 15.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Northam

$298 11.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 57.7% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Northam

$191 7.4%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 35.8% $68

Getting Around

Northam

$107 4.2%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 38.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Northam

$90 3.5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 7.1% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,401 in Northam and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Northam vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Northam

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:25 7:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

1 h behind Northam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Northam Phuket 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Northam
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

Northam vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Northam. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $3,858 in Northam and $1,940 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,401 in Northam versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $85 in Northam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,572 per month in Northam versus $1,294 in Phuket – Phuket is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,572 in Northam, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Northam. 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, Northam 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 50% less than in Northam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.