Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Albury

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,261 in Albury, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Albury
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Albury Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Albury

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,261

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Albury

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Albury actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,261 in Albury.

Phuket $1,278
Albury $2,261

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,366 in Albury.

Phuket $2,216
Albury $3,366

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,472 in Albury.

Phuket $3,154
Albury $4,472

Living in Phuket costs roughly 43% less than in Albury, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Albury is 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.81 A$29.60

-78.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$89.3 A$127

-63.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.45 A$14.86

-15.69%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.19 A$5.97

-32.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$3.18 A$4.52

-72.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$2.54 A$3.62

-80.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.94 A$9.87

-63.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.00 A$9.95

-47.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.55 A$2.20

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.26 A$4.64

-55.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.63 A$3.73

-42.97%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.17 A$7.35

-59.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.44 A$12.01

125.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.17 A$14.46

-67.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.84 A$18.26

-15.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.27 A$4.65

-10.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.23 A$4.60

-47.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.58 A$5.09

-37.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.99 A$7.10

-58.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.14 A$4.47

-51.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.06 A$2.94

-33.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.35 A$3.34

-54.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.35 A$1.92

-61.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$27.61 A$39.28

-84.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.28 A$20.31

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$4.53 A$6.44

-59.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$5.67 A$8.06

-49.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$3.91 A$5.56

-62.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$73.5 A$105

-22.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.46 A$4.92

-12.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.57 A$2.23

-35.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$42.36 A$60.2

-91.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.37 A$1.95

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$27.6K A$39.3K

-3.01%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$26.0K A$37.0K

2.58%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$183 A$260

-47.32%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$26.96 A$38.34

-58.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$54.8 A$78.0

-69.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$141 A$201

-52.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$22.40 A$31.86

-52.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.86 A$18.30

-41.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,188 A$3,112

-78.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$20.2K A$28.8K

-44.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$62.1 A$88.3

0.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$41.28 A$58.7

-31.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$97.9 A$139

-3.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$108 A$154

-20.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,121 A$1,594

-36.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$899 A$1,279

-45.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,914 A$2,722

0.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,375 A$1,956

4.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,729 A$6,726

-89.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.95

-6.39%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Albury: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Albury

$899 39.8% 83.2% $408

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Albury

$371 16.4% 39.2% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Albury

$265 11.7% 113% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Albury

$139 6.2% 14.2% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Albury

$320 14.1% 163% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Albury

$167 7.4% 103% $84

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Albury

$100 4.4% 42.2% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,121 in Albury. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albury pays about 9.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $89 in Albury for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $371 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Albury

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

14:03 2:03 PM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,323

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Albury 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Albury

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

Phuket vs Albury: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Albury. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 89% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,121 in Albury. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Albury. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $89 in Albury. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,261 in Albury, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Albury. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Albury are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Albury. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.