Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,027 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,027

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,027 in Perth versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Perth $3,027
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,162 in Perth versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Perth $4,162
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,297 in Perth versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Perth $5,297
Phuket $2,845

Living in Perth is roughly 150% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Perth is 123% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 A$30.54

$4.40 ฿147

382.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$32.26 ฿1,078

161.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 A$15.84

$8.76 ฿293

25.68%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$2.83 ฿94.5

56.54%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.90 ฿30.14

220.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.47 ฿15.56

378.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 A$12.14

$2.55 ฿85.2

230.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 A$11.83

$3.83 ฿128

114.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.51

$1.73 ฿57.7

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 A$4.49

$1.47 ฿49.11

112.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.96

$1.51 ฿50.6

36.42%

Eggs

$5.21 A$7.50

$2.17 ฿72.7

140.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.98

$19.70 ฿658

-54.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 A$13.43

$3.34 ฿112

179.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 A$19.85

$11.16 ฿373

23.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.60

$2.85 ฿95.1

61.05%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.65

$1.70 ฿56.9

90.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.89

$2.19 ฿73.3

55.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$7.03

$2.05 ฿68.4

138.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.12

$1.45 ฿48.57

97.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 A$2.72

$1.38 ฿46.16

36.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 A$3.15

$1.07 ฿35.69

104.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$2.00

$0.51 ฿16.91

172.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.45 A$61.1

$4.26 ฿142

896.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 A$18.31

$18.58 ฿621

-31.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.56 A$6.56

$1.78 ฿59.7

156.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 A$4.78

$2.85 ฿95.2

16.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 A$3.45

$2.26 ฿75.6

6.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 A$142

$22.10 ฿738

345.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$3.01 ฿101

17.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.09

$1.06 ฿35.34

37.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 A$58.2

$3.86 ฿129

947.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.45 ฿48.45

-6.21%

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

$29.6K A$42.6K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

12.46%

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

$27.7K A$39.9K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

2.88%

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

$205 A$295

$96.4 ฿3,221

113.03%

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

$32.82 A$47.23

$11.04 ฿369

197.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 A$92.1

$17.14 ฿573

273.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 A$79.4

$52.2 ฿1,744

5.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.94 A$30.13

$11.16 ฿373

87.63%

Cinema Ticket

$17.27 A$24.85

$7.81 ฿261

121.13%

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

$2,320 A$3,339

$556 ฿18.6K

317.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.9K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

97.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 A$110

$64.2 ฿2,146

19.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 A$90.8

$28.69 ฿959

119.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$176

$95.4 ฿3,187

28.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 A$235

$88.0 ฿2,940

85.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 A$2,786

$737 ฿24.6K

162.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 A$2,337

$462 ฿15.5K

251.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 A$4,058

$2,095 ฿70.0K

34.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 A$3,110

$1,201 ฿40.1K

79.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,369 A$12.0K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

139.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,001 A$8,635

$2,523 ฿84.3K

137.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,209 A$6,056

$501 ฿16.7K

740.60%

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 Perth: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.6K 53.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 71.5% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$366 12.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 26.6% $97

Eating Out

Perth

$335 11.1%

Phuket

$121 10% 63.8% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 10%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 58.8% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$191 6.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 34.9% $67

Getting Around

Perth

$119 3.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 66.8% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$90 3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 24.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,936 in Perth and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 741% 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: $85.0 in Perth vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $366 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

12:41 12:41 PM

1 h behind Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Perth Phuket 4,800 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth
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

Perth vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 150% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 741% 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: $1,936 in Perth versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 345% less than in Perth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $2,320 in Perth versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $3,027 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.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Perth, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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 150% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.