Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gold Coast

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,888 in Gold Coast, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
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Gold Coast Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gold Coast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,888 in Gold Coast.

Phuket $1,294
Gold Coast $2,888

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $4,457 in Gold Coast.

Phuket $2,204
Gold Coast $4,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $6,027 in Gold Coast.

Phuket $3,115
Gold Coast $6,027

Living in Phuket costs roughly 55% less than in Gold Coast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Gold Coast is 114% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$20.60 A$29.36

-78.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$105 A$150

-69.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$10.67 A$15.20

-18.46%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$3.78 A$5.39

-28.04%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.91 A$4.15

-68.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$2.37 A$3.38

-78.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$7.78 A$11.09

-67.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$7.63 A$10.87

-52.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.52 A$2.17

14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$2.74 A$3.91

-47.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$2.37 A$3.38

-36.71%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$4.74 A$6.76

-54.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$8.77 A$12.50

117.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$9.32 A$13.28

-63.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$15.00 A$21.37

-27.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$3.78 A$5.39

-22.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$3.14 A$4.47

-46.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$3.34 A$4.76

-34.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$4.33 A$6.17

-51.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$2.50 A$3.57

-41.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$2.53 A$3.60

-45.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$2.54 A$3.62

-57.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$2.28 A$3.26

-75.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$45.15 A$64.3

-90.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$14.44 A$20.57

26.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$5.75 A$8.19

-69.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$6.73 A$9.60

-57.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.62 A$3.74

-44.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$55.7 A$79.4

-1.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$2.63 A$3.75

-42.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.92 A$2.73

-59.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$44.13 A$62.9

-91.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.38 A$1.96

7.97%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$29.0K A$41.3K

-7.19%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$26.2K A$37.3K

0.55%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$221 A$315

-55.77%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$30.11 A$42.91

-62.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$54.6 A$77.8

-68.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$59.1 A$84.3

15.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$17.69 A$25.20

-38.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$13.17 A$18.77

-43.58%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$2,157 A$3,073

-75.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$23.3K A$33.1K

-19.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$77.6 A$111

-20.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$54.7 A$77.9

-48.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$102 A$146

-6.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$123 A$175

-29.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$2,377 A$3,388

-69.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$1,557 A$2,219

-67.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$3,177 A$4,528

-38.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$2,958 A$4,216

-52.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$10.6K A$15.1K

-60.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$7,218 A$10.3K

-54.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$4,139 A$5,898

-88.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.69

-2.11%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gold Coast: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Gold Coast

$1.6K 53.9% 206% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Gold Coast

$383 13.3% 43.5% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Gold Coast

$306 10.6% 142% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Gold Coast

$161 5.6% 31.1% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Gold Coast

$318 11% 166% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Gold Coast

$85 3% 2.8% $2.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Gold Coast

$78 2.7% 18.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $2,377 in Gold Coast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gold Coast pays about 8.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $105 in Gold Coast for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $383 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

13:05 1:05 PM

3 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

607,665

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 AUD = 0.702 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Gold Coast 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gold Coast

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 Gold Coast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,888 in Gold Coast, so Phuket is about 55% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 88% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $2,377 in Gold Coast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Gold Coast. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $2,888 in Gold Coast – Phuket is about 55% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,888 in Gold Coast, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Gold Coast. 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 Gold Coast are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Gold Coast on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.