Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buderim

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,498 in Buderim, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Buderim
Learn more

Buderim Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Buderim

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Buderim

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,498 in Buderim, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Buderim $2,498

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,618 in Buderim, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Buderim $3,618

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,738 in Buderim, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Buderim $4,738

Phuket is about 49% cheaper than Buderim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Buderim is 84% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.54 A$24.85

-74.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$84.1 A$119

-61.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.63 A$15.05

-17.12%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.94 A$5.58

-28.17%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.91 A$4.13

-70.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$2.30 A$3.26

-78.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$7.65 A$10.84

-66.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.84 A$11.11

-53.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.55 A$2.20

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.75 A$3.89

-46.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.19 A$3.11

-31.51%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$4.91 A$6.95

-57.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$9.52 A$13.49

100.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.36 A$13.26

-64.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.52 A$20.57

-24.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$3.77 A$5.34

-22.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$3.01 A$4.27

-43.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.27 A$4.64

-31.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.70 A$6.65

-55.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.82 A$4.00

-46.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.45 A$3.48

-43.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.41 A$3.42

-55.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.55 A$2.20

-66.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$42.63 A$60.4

-90.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$13.70 A$19.41

37.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$4.84 A$6.86

-62.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$5.09 A$7.22

-44.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.03 A$2.88

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$79.7 A$113

-28.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.46 A$4.90

-12.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.59 A$2.25

-35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$40.29 A$57.1

-90.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.29 A$1.83

13.95%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$29.5K A$41.8K

-9.24%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$25.9K A$36.7K

3.12%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$205 A$290

-52.91%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$27.36 A$38.77

-58.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$56.2 A$79.6

-70.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$56.2 A$79.6

19.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$17.36 A$24.59

-38.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.09 A$19.96

-46.77%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$2,167 A$3,070

-78.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$20.0K A$28.4K

-43.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$75.7 A$107

-17.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$53.6 A$76.0

-47.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$106 A$150

-11.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$121 A$172

-29.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,406 A$1,992

-49.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$1,204 A$1,705

-59.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$2,111 A$2,990

-8.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,835 A$2,600

-22.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$5,856 A$8,295

-28.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$5,003 A$7,087

-39.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Buderim: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Buderim

$1.2K 48.2% 145% $713

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Buderim

$367 14.7% 38% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Buderim

$288 11.5% 132% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Buderim

$161 6.4% 31.8% $39

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Buderim

$294 11.8% 142% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Buderim

$84 3.4% 2.6% $2.1

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Buderim

$99 4% 40.6% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,406 in Buderim. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $84 in Buderim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $367 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Buderim

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

18:00 6:00 PM

3 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

28,774

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.633 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Buderim 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Buderim

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 Buderim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buderim costs about 95% 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 $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,747 in Buderim. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,406 in Buderim.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $84 in Buderim. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,498 in Buderim. That makes Phuket about 49% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Buderim at $2,498. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buderim it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.