Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,750 in Perth versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,675 in Perth versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,600 in Perth versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Perth is roughly 38% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Perth is 31% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.56 £15.28

$4.70 ฿153

337.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.5 £61.3

$45.37 ฿1,482

81.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 £7.40

$8.43 ฿275

18.03%

Cappuccino

$4.35 £3.23

$2.93 ฿95.6

48.46%

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

$2.58 £1.92

$0.69 ฿22.40

273.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.25

$0.37 ฿11.99

354.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 £4.04

$2.41 ฿78.6

125.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 £3.52

$3.72 ฿122

27.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 £1.09

$2.23 ฿72.9

-34.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.83 ฿59.8

-24.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 £1.43

$2.17 ฿70.8

-11.06%

Eggs

$2.49 £1.85

$2.21 ฿72.3

12.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 £6.21

$19.74 ฿645

-57.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.70 £6.47

$3.63 ฿119

139.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.81 £9.52

$13.53 ฿442

-5.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 £2.69

$3.28 ฿107

10.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.61 ฿52.6

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 £1.95

$2.41 ฿78.6

8.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 £2.82

$2.08 ฿68.1

82.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 £1.28

$1.53 ฿49.93

13.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.48 ฿48.36

8.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 £0.76

$0.99 ฿32.29

3.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 £1.15

$0.51 ฿16.67

203.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.65 £13.87

$4.41 ฿144

322.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 £7.96

$19.38 ฿633

-44.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 £2.03

$1.78 ฿58.1

53.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 £2.22

$2.71 ฿88.6

10.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.08 £2.29

$1.37 ฿44.79

124.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.8 £66.8

$11.39 ฿372

688.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.98 £5.19

$3.02 ฿98.6

131.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 £1.22

$0.99 ฿32.48

65.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.18 £16.49

$14.10 ฿461

57.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.47

$1.36 ฿44.51

45.59%

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

$35.2K £26.1K

$28.2K ฿921.1K

24.71%

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

$43.1K £32.1K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

31.13%

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

$273 £203

$122 ฿3,975

124.17%

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

$13.54 £10.06

$13.57 ฿443

-0.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.32 £27.00

$18.31 ฿598

98.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.10 £25.34

$60.2 ฿1,967

-43.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

Cinema Ticket

$10.84 £8.06

$8.69 ฿284

24.74%

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

$1,250 £929

$693 ฿22.6K

80.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K £13.7K

$15.7K ฿512.3K

17.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.5 £62.8

$59.5 ฿1,944

41.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.02 £33.46

$34.77 ฿1,136

29.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.3 £49.99

$115 ฿3,743

-41.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 £62.4

$83.3 ฿2,720

0.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$702 £522

$613 ฿20.0K

14.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 £433

$437 ฿14.3K

33.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 £916

$2,094 ฿68.4K

-41.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 £746

$1,509 ฿49.3K

-33.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,012 £1,496

$3,749 ฿122.5K

-46.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,704 £2,010

$2,616 ฿85.4K

3.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,453 £1,823

$508 ฿16.6K

382.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.7

5.33

6.94%

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

Last update for Perth: May 30, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $702 in Perth and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 383% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $82.0 in Perth vs $45.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $293, with Perth cheaper for home cooking.

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

Perth vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Perth. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Perth pays 383% more on average, 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: $702 in Perth versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,250 in Perth versus $693 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Perth pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,750 in Perth, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,265 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Perth and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.