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: $2,278 in Perth versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,255 in Perth versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,233 in Perth versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Perth is roughly 82% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Perth is 66% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.94 £16.97

$4.56 ฿150

403.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 £60.4

$32.62 ฿1,073

150.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.48 £12.20

$8.90 ฿293

85.17%

Cappuccino

$4.11 £3.04

$2.80 ฿92.3

46.79%

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

$2.48 £1.84

$0.88 ฿28.96

181.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.25

$0.49 ฿16.09

242.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.51 £4.81

$2.39 ฿78.6

172.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.76 £4.26

$3.71 ฿122

55.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 £1.09

$1.79 ฿58.8

-17.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 £1.02

$1.44 ฿47.43

-4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 £1.44

$1.58 ฿52.1

23.42%

Eggs

$2.48 £1.83

$2.13 ฿70.0

16.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.30 £6.14

$19.92 ฿655

-58.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 £6.71

$3.43 ฿113

164.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.63 £10.09

$11.33 ฿373

20.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 £1.85

$2.95 ฿97.0

-15.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 £1.22

$1.72 ฿56.6

-3.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 £1.89

$2.32 ฿76.5

9.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.50

$2.08 ฿68.5

62.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 £1.17

$1.47 ฿48.37

7.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 £1.29

$1.36 ฿44.68

27.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 £0.76

$1.10 ฿36.15

-7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 £1.14

$0.57 ฿18.90

171.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.61 £15.99

$4.27 ฿140

406.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.42 £8.45

$18.42 ฿606

-38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.05 £2.25

$1.87 ฿61.6

63.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 £2.22

$2.92 ฿96.1

2.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.62 £2.68

$2.22 ฿73.0

63.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.6 £69.2

$22.90 ฿753

308.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 £4.05

$3.03 ฿99.7

80.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.68 £1.98

$1.07 ฿35.34

150.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.01 £18.50

$3.93 ฿129

536.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 £1.40

$1.49 ฿49.09

26.85%

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

$35.4K £26.2K

$27.1K ฿892.5K

30.42%

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

$41.5K £30.7K

$27.5K ฿903.2K

51.13%

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

$631 £467

$103 ฿3,382

513.64%

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

$13.86 £10.25

$10.99 ฿362

26.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.30 £26.85

$17.51 ฿576

107.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.32 £35.75

$53.5 ฿1,761

-9.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 £11.19

$7.48 ฿246

102.27%

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

$1,262 £934

$557 ฿18.3K

126.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.4K £16.6K

$11.9K ฿390.0K

88.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.6 £67.8

$64.1 ฿2,108

42.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.23 £34.20

$29.07 ฿957

59.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.8 £50.1

$96.0 ฿3,157

-29.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 £106

$90.3 ฿2,972

58.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 £534

$730 ฿24.0K

-1.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 £433

$500 ฿16.4K

17.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,250 £925

$2,090 ฿68.8K

-40.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 £823

$1,209 ฿39.8K

-8.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,288 £3,912

$3,596 ฿118.3K

47.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,952 £2,924

$2,512 ฿82.7K

57.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,511 £1,857

$503 ฿16.6K

398.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.07

5.57

-8.98%

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

Last update for Perth: August 30, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Perth and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 399% 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 $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $282 vs $273 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 82% 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.

Average pay runs 399% higher in Perth, 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: $721 in Perth versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,262 in Perth versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Perth. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,278 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 $1,253 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 82% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.