Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Forster

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,456 in Forster, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Forster
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Forster Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Forster

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Forster

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,456 in Forster.

Phuket $1,207
Forster $2,456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $3,696 in Forster.

Phuket $2,037
Forster $3,696

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $4,937 in Forster.

Phuket $2,867
Forster $4,937

Living in Phuket costs roughly 51% less than in Forster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Forster is 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$17.41 A$25.05

-73.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$90.1 A$130

-63.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$10.28 A$14.80

-16.83%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.93 A$5.66

-30.79%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.88 A$4.14

-67.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$2.16 A$3.11

-77.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$7.11 A$10.23

-63.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$5.51 A$7.93

-30.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.68 A$2.42

3.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.77 A$3.99

-48.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.36 A$3.40

-35.17%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$5.41 A$7.78

-59.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$12.05 A$17.34

58.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$9.36 A$13.47

-64.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$16.51 A$23.77

-32.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.91 A$5.63

-24.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$3.24 A$4.66

-48.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.45 A$4.96

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$4.40 A$6.34

-51.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.18 A$4.57

-51.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.33 A$3.35

-41.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.36 A$3.40

-52.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.19 A$1.71

-53.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$44.21 A$63.6

-90.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$13.74 A$19.77

32.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$3.87 A$5.56

-55.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.91 A$5.63

-28.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$2.88 A$4.14

-22.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$80.8 A$116

-72.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.49 A$5.03

-16.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.56 A$2.24

-35.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$40.50 A$58.3

-90.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.45 A$2.09

2.76%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$28.7K A$41.2K

-6.92%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$30.0K A$43.1K

-10.92%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$222 A$319

-55.21%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$27.32 A$39.31

-58.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$56.5 A$81.3

-69.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$57.2 A$82.3

-8.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$19.94 A$28.69

-45.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$17.15 A$24.67

-55.86%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$2,227 A$3,205

-74.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$27.9K A$40.1K

-58.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$80.0 A$115

-21.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$68.9 A$99.1

-58.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$111 A$159

-13.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$134 A$193

-34.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,533 A$2,206

-52.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$1,118 A$1,609

-58.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$2,440 A$3,512

-14.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,911 A$2,750

-36.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$5,666 A$8,154

-38.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$5,657 A$8,140

-56.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.84

-4.62%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Forster: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Forster

$1.1K 45.5% 143% $658

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Forster

$376 15.3% 40.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Forster

$306 12.4% 139% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Forster

$177 7.2% 42.9% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Forster

$284 11.6% 134% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Forster

$91 3.7% 35.7% $24

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Forster

$104 4.2% 166% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $1,533 in Forster. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $90.0 in Forster for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $376 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Forster

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

03:56 3:56 AM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

20,554

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Forster 7,260 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Forster

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 Forster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Forster differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $2,456 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $3,684 in Forster 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: $729 in Phuket versus $1,533 in Forster. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $2,227 in Forster. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Forster. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,456 in Forster, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Forster. 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 Forster 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 103% less than in Forster. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.