Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Charleville

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,667 in Charleville, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Charleville, Australia
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Charleville
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,667
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Charleville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,667 in Charleville.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Charleville $2,667

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,579 in Charleville.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Charleville $3,579

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,492 in Charleville.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Charleville $4,492

Living in Phuket costs roughly 52% less than in Charleville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Charleville is 96% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Charleville
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$15.93 A$22.75
-71.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,092
$75.9 A$108
-57.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$9.62 A$13.74
-8.42%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.3
$3.77 A$5.39
-24.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.37
$2.81 A$4.01
-69.04%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.64
$2.23 A$3.19
-78.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.2
$8.37 A$11.96
-69.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$7.18 A$10.26
-48.75%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Charleville
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.46 A$2.09
13.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.25
$2.81 A$4.02
-48.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$2.12 A$3.03
-29.25%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.4
$4.65 A$6.64
-55.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿642
$8.74 A$12.48
118.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$10.52 A$15.02
-68.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$15.35 A$21.92
-28.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.7
$3.54 A$5.05
-17.23%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$3.34 A$4.78
-49.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$3.61 A$5.16
-37.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$5.02 A$7.17
-58.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$2.63 A$3.76
-42.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.47
$2.79 A$3.99
-50.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.91
$2.68 A$3.83
-60.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.49
$1.65 A$2.35
-68.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$47.11 A$67.3
-91.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿633
$13.54 A$19.34
38.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$5.34 A$7.62
-65.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.7
$5.72 A$8.16
-50.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Charleville
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$2.44 A$3.49
-40.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,909
$84.6 A$121
-33.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$3.06 A$4.36
-1.31%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.29
$1.42 A$2.03
-28.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
$42.01 A$60.0
-91.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.70
$1.50 A$2.14
-2.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿902.4K
$31.7K A$45.3K
-15.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿899.5K
$25.1K A$35.9K
6.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Charleville
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,247
$210 A$300
-54.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$26.08 A$37.25
-56.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$49.76 A$71.1
-66.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Charleville
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,266
$57.4 A$82.0
17.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿361
$16.05 A$22.92
-33.15%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$14.95 A$21.35
-49.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Charleville
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.0K
$2,123 A$3,032
-77.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.6K
$20.8K A$29.7K
-45.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Charleville
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,102
$80.0 A$114
-22.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿957
$57.8 A$82.5
-50.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,178
$98.8 A$141
-4.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,892
$113 A$161
-23.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Charleville
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$1,435 A$2,049
-50.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.5K
$1,372 A$1,960
-64.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿64.9K
$2,550 A$3,642
-24.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.2K
$1,631 A$2,330
-12.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.7K
$5,919 A$8,453
-29.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.6K
$5,396 A$7,706
-43.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Charleville
Difference
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 Charleville: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Charleville
$1.4K 180% $882
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Charleville
$381 43.1% $115
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Charleville
$286 130% $161
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Charleville
$157 29% $35
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Charleville
$278 128% $156
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Charleville
$87 6.2% $5.1
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Charleville
$105 48.2% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,435 in Charleville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $76 in Charleville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $381 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇦🇺 Charleville
🕒 Local time
17:10 5:10 PM
20:10 8:10 PM
3 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
3,300
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 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 = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Charleville 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Charleville

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 Charleville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Charleville?
Phuket is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $4,000 in Charleville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Charleville?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,435 in Charleville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Charleville?
All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,667 in Charleville – Phuket is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 33% less than in Charleville. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Charleville?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,667 in Charleville, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Charleville. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Charleville?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Charleville?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Charleville are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Charleville. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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