Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bundaberg

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,147 in Bundaberg, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
102

Cost of Living Index in Bundaberg
Learn more

Bundaberg Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bundaberg

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,147

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bundaberg

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,147 in Bundaberg, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Bundaberg $2,147

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,213 in Bundaberg, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Bundaberg $3,213

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,279 in Bundaberg, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Bundaberg $4,279

Phuket is about 40% cheaper than Bundaberg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Bundaberg is 58% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.13 A$28.62

-77.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$71.1 A$101

-54.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.41 A$14.79

-15.37%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.84 A$5.46

-26.30%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.23 A$3.17

-60.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.24 A$3.19

-78.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$7.80 A$11.09

-67.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.44 A$9.15

-42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.04 A$2.91

-18.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.33 A$3.31

-37.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.20 A$4.55

-53.13%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.42 A$6.28

-52.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.31 A$14.66

84.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.91 A$14.09

-66.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$22.86 A$32.49

-52.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.72 A$5.29

-21.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.73 A$3.88

-38.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.85 A$4.05

-21.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.36 A$6.20

-52.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.34 A$4.75

-54.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.56 A$3.64

-46.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.13 A$3.03

-49.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$2.63 A$3.73

-80.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$30.46 A$43.29

-86.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.20 A$18.77

42.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$7.59 A$10.79

-76.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$5.35 A$7.60

-46.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$2.50 A$3.56

-42.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$60.6 A$86.2

-6.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.78 A$5.38

-20.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.53 A$2.17

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$41.72 A$59.3

-91.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.29 A$1.83

13.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$27.4K A$38.9K

-2.20%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$26.5K A$37.7K

0.70%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$140 A$199

-31.22%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$28.16 A$40.03

-60.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$57.9 A$82.2

-70.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$55.8 A$79.3

20.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$17.49 A$24.86

-38.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.53 A$17.81

-40.14%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,109 A$2,997

-77.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$20.2K A$28.8K

-44.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$108 A$154

-42.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$73.2 A$104

-61.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$148 A$210

-36.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$162 A$230

-46.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$873 A$1,240

-17.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$807 A$1,147

-39.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,661 A$2,360

16.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,263 A$1,796

13.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$5,289 A$7,517

-21.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$4,619 A$6,565

-34.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,771 A$3,939

-81.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bundaberg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bundaberg

$807 37.6% 64.4% $316

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bundaberg

$422 19.7% 58.4% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bundaberg

$226 10.5% 81.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bundaberg

$221 10.3% 81.2% $99

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bundaberg

$308 14.4% 153% $186

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bundaberg

$81 3.8% 1.7% $1.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bundaberg

$82 3.8% 16.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $873 in Bundaberg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bundaberg are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $71 in Bundaberg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $422 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Bundaberg

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

3 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

52,370

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bundaberg 6,880 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bundaberg

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 Bundaberg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bundaberg costs about 68% 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 $3,220 in Bundaberg. 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 $873 in Bundaberg.

Groceries cost about 58% more in Bundaberg, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $71 in Bundaberg. 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 $1,278, than in Bundaberg at $2,147. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bundaberg 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.

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