Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Melbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,849 in Melbourne, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
137

Cost of Living Index in Melbourne
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Melbourne Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Melbourne

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,849 in Melbourne.

Phuket $1,278
Melbourne $2,849

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,274 in Melbourne.

Phuket $2,216
Melbourne $4,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,699 in Melbourne.

Phuket $3,154
Melbourne $5,699

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Melbourne is 109% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.50 A$24.86

-74.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$84.3 A$120

-61.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.17 A$17.29

-27.61%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.07 A$5.79

-30.47%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.18 A$4.52

-72.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.50 A$3.55

-80.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$9.57 A$13.60

-73.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.25 A$11.72

-55.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.50 A$2.14

10.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.97 A$4.22

-50.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.68 A$3.81

-44.03%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.45 A$7.75

-61.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.71 A$15.22

78.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.05 A$14.28

-67.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.00 A$21.31

-27.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.07 A$5.78

-28.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.14 A$4.46

-46.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.12 A$4.43

-27.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.73 A$6.72

-56.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.98 A$4.23

-49.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.49 A$3.55

-44.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.48 A$3.53

-56.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.60 A$2.27

-67.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$44.65 A$63.4

-90.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.68 A$18.02

48.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$5.55 A$7.88

-67.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$5.18 A$7.37

-45.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$3.84 A$5.45

-62.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$139 A$197

-59.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.36 A$6.19

-30.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.37 A$1.94

-25.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$29.72 A$42.23

-87.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.49 A$2.11

-1.34%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$29.1K A$41.3K

-7.95%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$25.7K A$36.5K

3.98%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$236 A$335

-59.11%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$28.01 A$39.80

-59.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$57.2 A$81.3

-70.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$48.39 A$68.8

38.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$21.46 A$30.50

-50.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$17.67 A$25.10

-57.56%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,461 A$3,497

-80.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$29.7K A$42.2K

-62.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$81.2 A$115

-23.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$49.28 A$70.0

-42.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$120 A$170

-21.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$131 A$186

-34.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,703 A$2,419

-57.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,409 A$2,002

-65.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$3,496 A$4,967

-44.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,527 A$3,590

-43.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$7,978 A$11.3K

-47.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$6,900 A$9,805

-55.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,257 A$6,049

-88.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.9

-5.59%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Melbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Melbourne

$1.4K 49.4% 187% $918

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Melbourne

$386 13.6% 45.2% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Melbourne

$321 11.3% 158% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Melbourne

$171 6% 40.7% $50

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Melbourne

$312 11% 157% $191

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Melbourne

$84 2.9% 1.8% $1.5

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Melbourne

$165 5.8% 134% $95

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Melbourne pays about 8.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $84 in Melbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $386 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Melbourne

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

05:39 5:39 AM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,031,195

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Melbourne 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Melbourne

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 Melbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Melbourne differ by about 123% in total monthly costs ($1,278 vs $2,849 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – 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: $716 in Phuket versus $1,703 in Melbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $2,461 in Melbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Melbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,849 in Melbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Melbourne. 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 Melbourne are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 55% less than in Melbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.