Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Brisbane

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,518 in Brisbane, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Brisbane
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Brisbane Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Brisbane

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Brisbane

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $2,518 in Brisbane, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Brisbane $2,518

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $3,720 in Brisbane, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Brisbane $3,720

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $4,922 in Brisbane, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Brisbane $4,922

Phuket is about 52% cheaper than Brisbane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Brisbane is 86% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$17.39 A$25.02

-74.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$70.9 A$102

-54.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$11.09 A$15.95

-21.01%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.43 A$6.38

-36.12%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.90 A$4.17

-68.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.43 A$3.49

-80.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$8.42 A$12.12

-69.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$8.31 A$11.96

-53.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.67 A$2.40

3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.72 A$3.92

-45.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.29 A$3.29

-34.06%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.82 A$6.94

-54.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.06 A$13.03

117.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.18 A$13.21

-63.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.21 A$20.45

-21.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$4.31 A$6.20

-33.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$3.04 A$4.38

-44.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$3.00 A$4.32

-27.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.75 A$6.84

-56.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.72 A$3.92

-46.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$2.34 A$3.37

-41.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$2.42 A$3.48

-55.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.19 A$1.71

-57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$38.67 A$55.7

-88.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$12.66 A$18.21

46.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$5.40 A$7.77

-67.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$5.13 A$7.38

-44.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.37 A$0.53

510.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$20.72 A$29.81

6.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.92 A$4.20

3.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.86 A$2.68

-43.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$41.05 A$59.1

-90.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.40 A$2.01

3.57%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$29.7K A$42.8K

-11.49%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$26.0K A$37.4K

3.76%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$159 A$229

-39.43%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$26.52 A$38.16

-58.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$60.6 A$87.2

-71.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$60.9 A$87.6

-14.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$22.22 A$31.97

-49.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$14.14 A$20.34

-44.77%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,952 A$2,808

-71.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$12.7K A$18.3K

-8.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$83.3 A$120

-22.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$43.69 A$62.9

-34.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$113 A$163

-15.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$111 A$160

-20.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,939 A$2,790

-61.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,322 A$1,902

-65.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$3,408 A$4,904

-38.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$2,242 A$3,226

-46.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$8,271 A$11.9K

-57.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$5,920 A$8,518

-57.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$4,183 A$6,020

-88.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.81

-4.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Brisbane: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Brisbane

$1.3K 52.5% 186% $860

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Brisbane

$363 14.4% 35.1% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Brisbane

$246 9.8% 97.7% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Brisbane

$158 6.3% 27.1% $34

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Brisbane

$306 12.1% 152% $184

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Brisbane

$89 3.5% 31.5% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Brisbane

$34 1.4% 12.8% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $1,939 in Brisbane. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 736% higher in Brisbane, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $71.0 in Brisbane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $363 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Brisbane

🕒 Local time

11:13 11:13 AM

14:13 2:13 PM

3 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,287,896

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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 Brisbane 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Brisbane

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 Brisbane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brisbane costs about 108% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $3,777 in Brisbane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Brisbane, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $71.0 in Brisbane. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Brisbane at $2,518. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brisbane it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $2,518 in Brisbane. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brisbane makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.