Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Alice Springs

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,798 in Alice Springs, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Alice Springs
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Alice Springs Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Alice Springs

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,798

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Alice Springs

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 Alice Springs actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,798 in Alice Springs.

Phuket $1,208
Alice Springs $1,798

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,720 in Alice Springs.

Phuket $2,027
Alice Springs $2,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $3,641 in Alice Springs.

Phuket $2,845
Alice Springs $3,641

Living in Phuket costs roughly 33% less than in Alice Springs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Alice Springs is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$17.27 A$24.85

-74.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$83.0 A$119

-61.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$10.70 A$15.40

-18.13%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.28 A$6.16

-33.88%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.87 A$4.13

-68.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.82 A$4.06

-83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$6.48 A$9.33

-60.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$9.54 A$13.72

-59.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.43 A$2.05

20.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.10 A$3.03

-30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.78 A$2.57

-15.17%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$5.10 A$7.33

-57.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.17 A$14.63

93.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$8.29 A$11.94

-59.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.50 A$20.87

-23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.84 A$5.53

-25.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$3.00 A$4.32

-43.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.63 A$3.78

-16.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$6.85 A$9.86

-70.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.49 A$3.58

-41.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.28 A$3.28

-39.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.43 A$3.50

-55.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$2.36 A$3.40

-78.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$28.22 A$40.60

-84.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$13.77 A$19.82

34.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$3.22 A$4.64

-44.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$5.59 A$8.04

-49.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$2.79 A$4.02

-19.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$68.9 A$99.1

-67.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$4.84 A$6.97

-37.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.55 A$2.24

-31.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$27.74 A$39.92

-86.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.35 A$1.94

7.41%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$37.6K A$54.1K

-30.00%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$23.0K A$33.0K

17.32%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$213 A$306

-54.65%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$28.21 A$40.59

-60.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$45.86 A$66.0

-62.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$56.9 A$81.9

-8.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$17.95 A$25.83

-37.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$13.94 A$20.06

-43.97%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,941 A$2,793

-71.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$20.6K A$29.6K

-43.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$73.1 A$105

-12.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$12.03 A$17.31

138.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$138 A$198

-30.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$120 A$173

-26.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,405 A$2,022

-47.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$518 A$746

-10.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,267 A$1,823

65.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$765 A$1,101

56.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$4,502 A$6,478

-22.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$4,696 A$6,757

-46.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$4,301 A$6,189

-88.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.9

-5.59%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Alice Springs: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Alice Springs

$518 28.8% 12.1% $56

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Alice Springs

$365 20.3% 36% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Alice Springs

$287 15.9% 130% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Alice Springs

$154 8.6% 24.1% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Alice Springs

$296 16.5% 144% $175

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Alice Springs

$85 4.7% 25.1% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Alice Springs

$93 5.2% 135% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $1,405 in Alice Springs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alice Springs pays 759% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $83.0 in Alice Springs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $365 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Alice Springs

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

11:56 11:56 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

24,855

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Alice Springs 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Alice Springs

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 Alice Springs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Alice Springs. 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 759% lower in Alice Springs. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $1,405 in Alice Springs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Alice Springs. 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 $32.00 versus $83.0 in Alice Springs. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,798 in Alice Springs, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Alice Springs. 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 $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Alice Springs 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 49% less than in Alice Springs. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.