Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Derby, Australia

Name: Derby
Address: Derby, AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,353 in Derby, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Derby
Learn more

Derby Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Derby

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Derby

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,353 in Derby.

Phuket $1,278
Derby $2,353

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,668 in Derby.

Phuket $2,216
Derby $3,668

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,983 in Derby.

Phuket $3,154
Derby $4,983

Living in Phuket costs roughly 46% less than in Derby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Derby is 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.57 A$27.81

-77.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$83.3 A$118

-61.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.06 A$15.71

-20.34%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.55 A$6.47

-37.80%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.82 A$4.01

-69.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.51 A$3.56

-80.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.62 A$9.40

-61.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.46 A$12.02

-56.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.33 A$1.89

24.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.90 A$4.12

-49.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.22 A$3.16

-32.43%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.96 A$7.04

-57.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.02 A$11.40

137.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.45 A$14.85

-68.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.37 A$19.00

-18.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.94 A$5.60

-25.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.50 A$4.98

-51.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.11 A$4.42

-27.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.32 A$6.14

-51.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.59 A$3.68

-41.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.74 A$3.89

-49.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.22 A$3.16

-51.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.53 A$2.18

-66.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$38.60 A$54.9

-89.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.18 A$17.30

54.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$4.95 A$7.04

-63.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.67 A$6.63

-39.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.66 A$3.78

-45.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$72.0 A$102

-21.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.03 A$5.72

-25.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.60 A$2.27

-36.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$36.43 A$51.8

-89.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.37 A$1.94

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$25.6K A$36.3K

4.70%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$28.8K A$41.0K

-7.47%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$184 A$262

-47.67%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$23.63 A$33.58

-52.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$53.0 A$75.3

-68.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$64.3 A$91.4

4.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.35 A$23.24

-34.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.87 A$21.13

-49.56%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,188 A$3,109

-78.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$21.5K A$30.5K

-47.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$85.0 A$121

-26.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$49.33 A$70.1

-42.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$121 A$171

-21.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$130 A$185

-34.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,410 A$2,003

-49.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,054 A$1,497

-53.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,991 A$2,829

-3.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,040 A$2,898

-29.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$6,153 A$8,742

-32.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$5,074 A$7,210

-40.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Derby: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Derby

$1.1K 44.8% 115% $563

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Derby

$361 15.4% 35.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Derby

$261 11.1% 110% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Derby

$173 7.4% 42.3% $51

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Derby

$316 13.4% 159% $194

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Derby

$94 4% 14.4% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Derby

$95 4% 34% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,410 in Derby. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $83 in Derby for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $361 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Derby

🕒 Local time

00:58 12:58 AM

01:58 1:58 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Derby 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Derby

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 Derby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Derby differ by about 84% in total monthly costs ($1,278 vs $2,353 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,530 in Derby 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,410 in Derby. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Derby. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $83 in Derby. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,353 in Derby, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Derby. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Derby are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Derby. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.