Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nowra NSW and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,649 in Nowra NSW, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Nowra NSW
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Nowra NSW Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Nowra NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,649

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,649 per month in Nowra NSW vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Nowra NSW $2,649
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,808 per month in Nowra NSW vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Nowra NSW $3,808
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,968 per month in Nowra NSW vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Nowra NSW $4,968
Phuket $3,154

Nowra NSW costs about 107% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nowra NSW sits 95% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.83 A$29.74

$4.47 ฿151

366.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 A$128

$32.41 ฿1,092

176.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 A$15.10

$8.81 ฿297

19.98%

Cappuccino

$4.04 A$5.77

$2.83 ฿95.3

42.76%

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

$3.09 A$4.42

$0.87 ฿29.37

255.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.58

$0.49 ฿16.64

410.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.65 A$12.36

$2.56 ฿86.2

237.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.96 A$14.22

$3.68 ฿124

170.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.84

$1.66 ฿55.9

-22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 A$4.27

$1.46 ฿49.25

104.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.67

$1.50 ฿50.4

71.33%

Eggs

$5.28 A$7.54

$2.09 ฿70.4

152.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.82 A$16.89

$19.07 ฿642

-38.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.72 A$13.88

$3.30 ฿111

194.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 A$21.90

$10.91 ฿368

40.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 A$5.71

$2.93 ฿98.7

36.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.58

$1.69 ฿56.9

89.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.95

$2.25 ฿75.7

54.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 A$7.17

$2.08 ฿70.0

141.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.50

$1.51 ฿50.9

108.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.09

$1.38 ฿46.47

107.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.55

$1.07 ฿35.91

131.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$1.99

$0.52 ฿17.49

167.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.62 A$63.7

$4.20 ฿142

962.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.82 A$19.73

$18.79 ฿633

-26.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.59 A$6.55

$1.82 ฿61.4

152.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 A$7.84

$2.84 ฿95.7

93.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 A$3.85

$1.45 ฿48.93

85.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.1 A$116

$56.7 ฿1,909

43.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 A$5.79

$3.02 ฿102

34.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.27

$1.02 ฿34.29

55.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.76 A$62.5

$3.69 ฿124

1085.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.87

$1.47 ฿49.70

-10.88%

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

$27.8K A$39.8K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

3.96%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-1.54%

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

$183 A$262

$96.4 ฿3,247

90.35%

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

$27.16 A$38.79

$11.26 ฿380

141.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.6 A$80.8

$16.85 ฿568

235.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 A$76.3

$67.2 ฿2,266

-20.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 A$21.71

$10.73 ฿361

41.75%

Cinema Ticket

$15.48 A$22.10

$7.50 ฿253

106.40%

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

$2,496 A$3,564

$476 ฿16.0K

424.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K A$28.8K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

79.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.4 A$111

$62.4 ฿2,102

24.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 A$80.0

$28.41 ฿957

97.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$153

$94.3 ฿3,178

13.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 A$192

$85.8 ฿2,892

56.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 A$1,847

$716 ฿24.1K

80.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 A$1,866

$491 ฿16.5K

166.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 A$3,504

$1,927 ฿64.9K

27.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,904 A$2,719

$1,431 ฿48.2K

33.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,702 A$9,572

$4,175 ฿140.7K

60.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,378 A$7,680

$3,045 ฿102.6K

76.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Nowra NSW: 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

Nowra NSW

$1.3K 49.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 62.4% $816

Groceries & Markets

Nowra NSW

$386 14.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 31% $120

Eating Out

Nowra NSW

$332 12.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 63.4% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nowra NSW

$267 10.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 53.4% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Nowra NSW

$169 6.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 27.8% $47

Getting Around

Nowra NSW

$104 3.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 32% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Nowra NSW

$84 3.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 2.6% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,293 in Nowra NSW versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Nowra NSW versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Nowra NSW

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

17:24 5:24 PM

4 h behind Nowra NSW

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,598

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 = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Nowra NSW Phuket 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nowra NSW
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

Nowra NSW vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,649 in Nowra NSW, $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 52% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,974 per month in Nowra NSW and $1,917 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 $716 there versus $1,293 in Nowra NSW.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,649 in Nowra NSW and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Nowra NSW at $2,649. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nowra NSW 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.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 52% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.