Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Karratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,473 in Karratha, rent and utilities included – about $15,200 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Karratha
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Karratha Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Karratha

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Karratha

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $2,473 in Karratha, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Karratha $2,473

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $3,581 in Karratha, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Karratha $3,581

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $4,690 in Karratha, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Karratha $4,690

Phuket is about 51% cheaper than Karratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Karratha is 83% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$17.59 A$24.99

-74.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,089

$82.6 A$117

-60.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$10.31 A$14.66

-15.03%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.88 A$5.52

-27.06%

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

$0.90 ฿30.43

$2.83 A$4.02

-68.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$2.19 A$3.11

-78.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$7.54 A$10.72

-66.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$7.58 A$10.77

-49.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$1.52 A$2.16

13.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.58

$2.72 A$3.86

-45.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$2.26 A$3.21

-33.19%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$4.83 A$6.86

-55.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿665

$9.42 A$13.39

109.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$9.43 A$13.39

-64.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$14.89 A$21.15

-25.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$3.97 A$5.65

-28.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$3.11 A$4.42

-45.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$3.29 A$4.68

-33.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$4.75 A$6.75

-56.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.81 A$3.99

-48.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$2.39 A$3.40

-42.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.04

$2.33 A$3.31

-54.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$1.47 A$2.09

-65.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$41.46 A$58.9

-89.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$13.65 A$19.39

36.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$4.76 A$6.76

-62.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$5.35 A$7.60

-46.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$2.89 A$4.11

-21.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

$82.2 A$117

-73.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$3.38 A$4.81

-10.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$1.58 A$2.24

-32.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$39.46 A$56.1

-90.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$1.36 A$1.94

6.62%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

$27.0K A$38.3K

-2.39%

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

$29.6K A$42.1K

-9.02%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$202 A$286

-52.19%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$27.87 A$39.60

-60.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$55.4 A$78.7

-69.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$56.7 A$80.6

-7.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

$17.66 A$25.10

-36.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$14.78 A$21.00

-47.16%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$2,176 A$3,091

-74.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

$20.4K A$29.0K

-43.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$77.6 A$110

-17.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$54.7 A$77.7

-47.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$108 A$153

-11.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$120 A$171

-26.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$1,391 A$1,976

-47.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$1,176 A$1,671

-60.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$2,113 A$3,003

-0.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$1,779 A$2,527

-32.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

$5,861 A$8,328

-40.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$4,940 A$7,020

-48.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Karratha: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Karratha

$1.2K 47.5% 154% $713

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Karratha

$368 14.9% 37% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Karratha

$285 11.5% 129% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Karratha

$162 6.6% 30.4% $38

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Karratha

$291 11.8% 140% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Karratha

$86 3.5% 27.2% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Karratha

$105 4.3% 166% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $1,391 in Karratha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $83 in Karratha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $368 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Karratha

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

07:58 7:58 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

17,013

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Karratha 3,770 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Karratha

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 Karratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $2,473 in Karratha – roughly 105% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $3,710 in Karratha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $737 there versus $1,391 in Karratha.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $2,473 in Karratha. That’s a gap of about 105%.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Karratha at $2,473. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karratha it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 105% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.