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: $1,785 in Perth versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,701 in Perth versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,617 in Perth versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Perth is roughly 43% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Perth is 34% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 £15.23

$4.55 ฿153

349.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 £60.4

$46.18 ฿1,553

75.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 £7.49

$8.84 ฿297

13.80%

Cappuccino

$4.37 £3.26

$3.06 ฿103

42.81%

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

$2.55 £1.90

$0.73 ฿24.40

249.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.40 ฿13.39

315.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.35 £3.98

$2.43 ฿81.8

120.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 £3.48

$3.78 ฿127

23.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 £1.11

$2.26 ฿76.0

-34.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.81 ฿60.9

-23.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.87 £1.40

$2.25 ฿75.8

-16.89%

Eggs

$2.39 £1.78

$2.25 ฿75.5

6.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 £6.02

$19.51 ฿656

-58.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 £6.52

$3.65 ฿123

139.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 £9.64

$13.05 ฿439

-0.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 £2.81

$3.23 ฿109

17.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 £1.27

$1.62 ฿54.4

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 £1.89

$2.38 ฿80.1

6.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 £2.84

$2.03 ฿68.1

87.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 £1.27

$1.53 ฿51.6

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 £1.24

$1.50 ฿50.5

11.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 £0.76

$0.98 ฿32.91

5.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 £1.15

$0.52 ฿17.39

198.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.65 £13.88

$4.44 ฿149

320.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.84 £8.07

$18.32 ฿616

-40.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 £1.95

$1.86 ฿62.7

40.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 £2.22

$2.68 ฿90.1

11.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.09 £2.30

$1.41 ฿47.46

119.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.2 £64.9

$11.70 ฿393

645.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.72 £5.01

$3.11 ฿105

116.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.04 ฿35.06

55.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.80 £16.97

$14.11 ฿474

61.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 £1.47

$1.31 ฿44.10

50.38%

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

$35.0K £26.0K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

25.72%

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

$43.9K £32.7K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

32.23%

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

$275 £205

$122 ฿4,118

124.71%

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

$13.51 £10.06

$13.59 ฿457

-0.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.21 £26.96

$18.70 ฿629

93.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.45 £25.65

$60.5 ฿2,034

-43.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 £8.18

$9.07 ฿305

21.17%

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

$1,238 £922

$706 ฿23.8K

75.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K £13.9K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

18.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 £63.3

$58.6 ฿1,969

45.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.05 £33.54

$35.36 ฿1,189

27.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.3 £50.9

$115 ฿3,883

-40.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.8 £62.4

$83.7 ฿2,816

0.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$724 £539

$626 ฿21.0K

15.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$583 £434

$445 ฿15.0K

31.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 £909

$2,040 ฿68.6K

-40.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 £753

$1,492 ฿50.2K

-32.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,238 £3,900

$3,483 ฿117.1K

50.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,721 £2,026

$2,577 ฿86.7K

5.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,477 £1,844

$500 ฿16.8K

395.61%

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: July 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $724 in Perth and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 396% 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: $81.0 in Perth vs $46.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $283 vs $289, 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 43% 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 396% 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: $724 in Perth versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,238 in Perth versus $706 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Perth pay roughly 2% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,785 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 $1,250 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 43% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.