Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gladstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,533 in Gladstone, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Gladstone
Learn more

Gladstone Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Gladstone

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,533

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gladstone

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,533 in Gladstone.

Phuket $1,278
Gladstone $2,533

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,459 in Gladstone.

Phuket $2,216
Gladstone $3,459

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,385 in Gladstone.

Phuket $3,154
Gladstone $4,385

Living in Phuket costs roughly 50% less than in Gladstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Gladstone is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.68 A$25.13

-74.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$81.1 A$115

-60.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.89 A$16.90

-25.90%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.13 A$5.86

-31.48%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.10 A$4.41

-71.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.75 A$3.91

-82.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$7.52 A$10.68

-65.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$9.28 A$13.19

-60.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.52 A$2.17

9.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.73 A$3.88

-46.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.30 A$3.27

-34.78%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.85 A$6.89

-56.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$9.23 A$13.12

106.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.21 A$13.08

-64.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.50 A$20.60

-24.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.83 A$5.45

-23.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.12 A$4.43

-45.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.30 A$4.69

-31.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.67 A$6.64

-55.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.63 A$3.74

-42.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.38 A$3.38

-42.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.41 A$3.42

-55.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.61 A$2.29

-67.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$41.88 A$59.5

-89.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.91 A$19.77

35.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$4.85 A$6.90

-62.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$5.35 A$7.60

-46.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.83 A$4.02

-48.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$84.8 A$121

-33.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.02 A$5.71

-24.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.39 A$1.98

-26.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$44.05 A$62.6

-91.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.27 A$1.80

15.75%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$26.9K A$38.2K

-0.39%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$24.9K A$35.4K

7.07%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$205 A$291

-52.94%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$27.56 A$39.16

-59.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$54.4 A$77.2

-69.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$56.1 A$79.7

19.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$17.63 A$25.05

-39.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.90 A$19.76

-46.04%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,958 A$2,783

-75.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$20.4K A$28.9K

-44.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$70.3 A$100.0

-11.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$62.5 A$88.8

-54.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$98.6 A$140

-4.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$123 A$174

-30.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,381 A$1,963

-48.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,223 A$1,737

-59.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,370 A$1,947

40.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,465 A$2,082

-2.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$5,583 A$7,933

-25.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$4,980 A$7,076

-38.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$5,599 A$7,956

-91.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gladstone: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Gladstone

$1.2K 48.3% 149% $732

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Gladstone

$367 14.5% 37.9% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Gladstone

$287 11.3% 130% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gladstone

$159 6.3% 30.7% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gladstone

$306 12.1% 152% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Gladstone

$84 3.3% 2.1% $1.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Gladstone

$107 4.2% 51.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,381 in Gladstone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gladstone pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $81 in Gladstone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $367 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Gladstone

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

07:07 7:07 AM

3 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

34,703

💱 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 Gladstone 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gladstone

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 Gladstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 50% lower than in Gladstone. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 91% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,381 in Gladstone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,533 in Gladstone – Phuket is about 50% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 33% less than in Gladstone. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,533 in Gladstone, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Gladstone. 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 Gladstone are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 50% less than in Gladstone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.