Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Grafton

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,424 in Grafton, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
116

Cost of Living Index in Grafton
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Grafton Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Grafton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Grafton

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,424 in Grafton.

Phuket $1,294
Grafton $2,424

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,460 in Grafton.

Phuket $2,204
Grafton $3,460

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,496 in Grafton.

Phuket $3,115
Grafton $4,496

Living in Phuket costs roughly 47% less than in Grafton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Grafton is 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$17.28 A$24.64

-74.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$72.4 A$103

-55.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$11.26 A$16.06

-22.74%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$3.37 A$4.80

-19.29%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$2.88 A$4.11

-67.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$2.41 A$3.44

-79.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$8.62 A$12.29

-70.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$8.25 A$11.76

-56.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.11 A$1.58

56.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$2.62 A$3.74

-44.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.23 A$3.17

-32.74%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.68 A$5.25

-41.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$9.57 A$13.64

99.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$7.50 A$10.69

-54.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$14.36 A$20.47

-24.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$2.86 A$4.07

2.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.41 A$2.01

19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$2.95 A$4.21

-25.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$4.78 A$6.81

-55.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$2.08 A$2.96

-29.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$2.25 A$3.21

-39.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.70 A$2.43

-36.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$1.14 A$1.62

-51.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$30.29 A$43.19

-85.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$12.42 A$17.70

46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$5.18 A$7.38

-65.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$5.17 A$7.37

-44.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$2.82 A$4.01

-48.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$84.9 A$121

-35.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.05 A$4.35

-50.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$1.79 A$2.55

-56.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$40.71 A$58.0

-90.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.32 A$1.89

12.88%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$28.9K A$41.2K

-6.88%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$24.5K A$35.0K

7.39%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$158 A$225

-37.99%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$26.75 A$38.13

-57.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$49.18 A$70.1

-65.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$56.2 A$80.1

21.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$18.04 A$25.72

-39.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$11.82 A$16.85

-37.14%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$700 A$997

-24.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$3,199 A$4,561

487.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$84.6 A$121

-27.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$45.34 A$64.6

-37.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$113 A$161

-15.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$113 A$161

-23.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,412 A$2,014

-48.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,228 A$1,751

-58.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$2,258 A$3,220

-13.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$1,816 A$2,589

-23.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$5,769 A$8,224

-27.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$4,933 A$7,032

-33.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$2,511 A$3,580

-80.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.81

-4.13%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Grafton: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Grafton

$1.2K 50.7% 141% $719

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Grafton

$321 13.2% 20.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Grafton

$234 9.6% 85% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Grafton

$160 6.6% 30.5% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Grafton

$293 12.1% 145% $174

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Grafton

$80 3.3% 4% $3.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Grafton

$108 4.5% 63.8% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,412 in Grafton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Grafton pays about 5.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $72 in Grafton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $321 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Grafton

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

19,255

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Grafton 7,170 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Grafton

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 Grafton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,424 in Grafton, so Phuket is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 80% 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 $1,412 in Grafton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Grafton. 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 $72 in Grafton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,424 in Grafton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Grafton. 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 Grafton 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 47% less than in Grafton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.