Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Margaret River

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,642 in Margaret River, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Margaret River
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Margaret River Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Margaret River

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Margaret River

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $2,642 in Margaret River, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Margaret River $2,642

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $3,774 in Margaret River, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Margaret River $3,774

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $4,907 in Margaret River, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Margaret River $4,907

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

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Margaret River is 95% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$20.91 A$29.80

-79.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$84.1 A$120

-61.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$10.91 A$15.55

-20.26%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$4.51 A$6.43

-39.69%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.92 A$4.16

-68.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$2.22 A$3.17

-77.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$8.27 A$11.79

-69.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$8.36 A$11.92

-56.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.74 A$2.48

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$3.10 A$4.41

-53.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$2.06 A$2.94

-27.18%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$5.17 A$7.37

-58.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$9.34 A$13.31

104.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$9.30 A$13.26

-63.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$14.12 A$20.12

-22.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$4.67 A$6.66

-37.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$3.15 A$4.48

-46.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$3.43 A$4.89

-36.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$4.78 A$6.82

-55.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$2.83 A$4.03

-48.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$1.91 A$2.72

-28.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$2.20 A$3.13

-50.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$1.41 A$2.01

-60.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$42.03 A$59.9

-89.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$12.83 A$18.29

42.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$4.36 A$6.21

-59.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$3.53 A$5.03

-18.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.72 A$3.87

-46.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$84.9 A$121

-35.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$3.54 A$5.04

-57.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$1.41 A$2.01

-44.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$40.36 A$57.5

-90.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.43 A$2.04

4.20%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$30.6K A$43.6K

-12.21%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$28.1K A$40.1K

-6.29%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$202 A$287

-51.49%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$32.62 A$46.48

-65.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$64.3 A$91.6

-73.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$56.9 A$81.1

20.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$17.68 A$25.19

-38.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$17.47 A$24.90

-57.47%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$2,300 A$3,277

-76.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$23.4K A$33.3K

-19.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$78.6 A$112

-21.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$63.2 A$90.0

-55.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$124 A$176

-22.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$164 A$233

-47.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$1,387 A$1,976

-48.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$1,253 A$1,785

-59.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$2,279 A$3,247

-14.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$1,798 A$2,562

-22.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$5,747 A$8,190

-27.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$4,919 A$7,010

-32.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$2,984 A$4,252

-83.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.96

-6.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Margaret River: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Margaret River

$1.3K 47.4% 146% $744

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Margaret River

$367 13.9% 37.3% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Margaret River

$299 11.3% 136% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Margaret River

$193 7.3% 57.4% $70

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Margaret River

$333 12.6% 178% $213

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Margaret River

$92 3.5% 10.4% $8.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Margaret River

$106 4% 60.9% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $1,387 in Margaret River. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Margaret River are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $84 in Margaret River. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $367 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Margaret River

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

23:59 11:59 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,000

💱 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 = 0.624 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Margaret River 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Margaret River

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 Margaret River: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Margaret River is pricier by about 104%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $3,963 in Margaret River. 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 $721 there versus $1,387 in Margaret River.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $84 in Margaret River. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $2,642 in Margaret River. That makes Phuket about 51% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Margaret River at $2,642. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Margaret River 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Margaret River makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.