Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Castle Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,513 in Castle Hill, 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
121

Cost of Living Index in Castle Hill
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Castle Hill Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Castle Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Castle Hill

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $2,513 in Castle Hill, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Castle Hill $2,513

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $3,591 in Castle Hill, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Castle Hill $3,591

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $4,670 in Castle Hill, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Castle Hill $4,670

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

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Castle Hill is 86% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$14.63 A$20.95

-69.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$67.1 A$96.1

-51.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$10.72 A$15.34

-18.84%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$4.12 A$5.90

-33.98%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$2.90 A$4.15

-67.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.22 A$3.18

-77.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$7.94 A$11.36

-68.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$7.41 A$10.61

-51.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.55 A$2.22

12.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$2.43 A$3.49

-40.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.17 A$5.97

-64.03%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$5.63 A$8.06

-61.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$9.21 A$13.19

107.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$9.48 A$13.57

-64.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$14.64 A$20.96

-25.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.86 A$5.53

-23.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.16 A$4.52

-46.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$3.28 A$4.70

-33.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$4.70 A$6.72

-54.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$2.66 A$3.80

-45.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$2.48 A$3.56

-44.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$2.31 A$3.31

-53.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.60 A$2.29

-65.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$41.87 A$59.9

-89.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$13.93 A$19.94

31.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$4.65 A$6.66

-61.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$5.23 A$7.48

-44.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$2.77 A$3.97

-47.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$84.8 A$121

-35.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.46 A$4.95

-56.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.63 A$2.34

-52.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$40.89 A$58.5

-90.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.30 A$1.86

14.62%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$29.5K A$42.2K

-8.75%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$25.9K A$37.0K

1.87%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$207 A$297

-52.83%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$28.25 A$40.44

-60.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$57.4 A$82.1

-70.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$55.0 A$78.8

24.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$17.87 A$25.59

-38.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$14.17 A$20.29

-47.57%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$2,170 A$3,106

-75.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$20.7K A$29.6K

-9.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$77.9 A$112

-20.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$54.4 A$77.9

-48.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$109 A$156

-11.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$125 A$179

-30.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$1,409 A$2,017

-48.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$1,215 A$1,739

-58.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$2,283 A$3,269

-14.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,850 A$2,648

-24.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$5,746 A$8,225

-27.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$5,011 A$7,173

-34.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Castle Hill: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Castle Hill

$1.2K 48.3% 139% $706

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Castle Hill

$376 15% 40.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Castle Hill

$293 11.7% 132% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Castle Hill

$165 6.6% 34.2% $42

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Castle Hill

$274 10.9% 129% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Castle Hill

$83 3.3% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Castle Hill

$107 4.3% 62.6% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $1,409 in Castle Hill. 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 $67 in Castle Hill. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $376 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Castle Hill

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

39,284

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Castle Hill 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Castle Hill

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 Castle Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $2,513 in Castle Hill – Phuket comes out roughly 49% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $3,769 in Castle Hill. 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 $721 there versus $1,409 in Castle Hill.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $67 in Castle Hill. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,513 in Castle Hill. That makes Phuket about 49% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Castle Hill at $2,513. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Castle Hill 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.