Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nowra NSW

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,649 in Nowra NSW, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 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
124

Cost of Living Index in Nowra NSW
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Nowra NSW Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Nowra NSW

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nowra NSW

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,649 in Nowra NSW, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Nowra NSW $2,649

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,808 in Nowra NSW, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Nowra NSW $3,808

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,968 in Nowra NSW, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Nowra NSW $4,968

Phuket is about 52% cheaper than Nowra NSW, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Nowra NSW is 95% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.83 A$29.74

-78.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$89.7 A$128

-63.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.57 A$15.10

-16.65%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$4.04 A$5.77

-29.95%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$3.09 A$4.42

-71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$2.50 A$3.58

-80.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$8.65 A$12.36

-70.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$9.96 A$14.22

-63.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.29 A$1.84

28.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.99 A$4.27

-51.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.57 A$3.67

-41.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$5.28 A$7.54

-60.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$11.82 A$16.89

61.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.72 A$13.88

-66.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.33 A$21.90

-28.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$4.00 A$5.71

-26.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$3.21 A$4.58

-47.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.47 A$4.95

-35.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$5.02 A$7.17

-58.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.15 A$4.50

-52.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.87 A$4.09

-51.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.48 A$3.55

-56.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.39 A$1.99

-62.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$44.62 A$63.7

-90.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$13.82 A$19.73

35.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$4.59 A$6.55

-60.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$5.49 A$7.84

-48.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.69 A$3.85

-46.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$81.1 A$116

-30.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.06 A$5.79

-25.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.59 A$2.27

-35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$43.76 A$62.5

-91.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.31 A$1.87

12.21%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$27.8K A$39.8K

-3.81%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$26.3K A$37.5K

1.56%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$183 A$262

-47.46%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$27.16 A$38.79

-58.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$56.6 A$80.8

-70.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$53.5 A$76.3

25.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$15.21 A$21.71

-29.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.48 A$22.10

-51.55%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$2,496 A$3,564

-80.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$20.2K A$28.8K

-44.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$77.4 A$111

-19.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$56.0 A$80.0

-49.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$107 A$153

-12.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$135 A$192

-36.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,293 A$1,847

-44.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$1,307 A$1,866

-62.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$2,454 A$3,504

-21.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,904 A$2,719

-24.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$6,702 A$9,572

-37.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$5,378 A$7,680

-43.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.95

-6.39%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nowra NSW: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Nowra NSW

$1.3K 49.3% 166% $816

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Nowra NSW

$386 14.6% 44.9% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Nowra NSW

$267 10.1% 115% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nowra NSW

$169 6.4% 38.6% $47

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nowra NSW

$332 12.6% 173% $211

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Nowra NSW

$84 3.2% 2.6% $2.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Nowra NSW

$104 3.9% 47.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,293 in Nowra NSW. 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 $90 in Nowra NSW. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $386 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Nowra NSW

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

21:37 9:37 PM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,598

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Nowra NSW 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nowra NSW

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 Nowra NSW: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $2,649 in Nowra NSW – Phuket comes out roughly 52% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,974 in Nowra NSW. 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 $716 there versus $1,293 in Nowra NSW.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,649 in Nowra NSW. That makes Phuket about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% 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 $1,278, than in Nowra NSW at $2,649. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nowra NSW 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.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 52% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.