Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Perth Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Perth

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,278 in Perth.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,043 in Phuket versus $3,255 in Perth.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,833 in Phuket versus $4,233 in Perth.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 45% less than in Perth, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 9% below, Perth is 66% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ฿150

$22.94 £16.97

-80.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.62 ฿1,073

$81.7 £60.4

-60.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 ฿293

$16.48 £12.20

-46.00%

Cappuccino

$2.80 ฿92.3

$4.11 £3.04

-31.87%

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

$0.88 ฿28.96

$2.48 £1.84

-64.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.09

$1.68 £1.25

-70.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ฿78.6

$6.51 £4.81

-63.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿122

$5.76 £4.26

-35.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ฿58.8

$1.48 £1.09

20.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿47.43

$1.38 £1.02

4.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 ฿52.1

$1.95 £1.44

-18.97%

Eggs

$2.13 ฿70.0

$2.48 £1.83

-14.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.92 ฿655

$8.30 £6.14

140.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ฿113

$9.07 £6.71

-62.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.33 ฿373

$13.63 £10.09

-16.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿97.0

$2.50 £1.85

18.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿56.6

$1.66 £1.22

3.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 ฿76.5

$2.55 £1.89

-9.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.5

$3.38 £2.50

-38.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.37

$1.58 £1.17

-6.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿44.68

$1.74 £1.29

-21.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.15

$1.02 £0.76

7.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ฿18.90

$1.55 £1.14

-63.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿140

$21.61 £15.99

-80.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.42 ฿606

$11.42 £8.45

61.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ฿61.6

$3.05 £2.25

-38.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ฿96.1

$3.00 £2.22

-2.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿73.0

$3.62 £2.68

-38.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.90 ฿753

$93.6 £69.2

-75.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿99.7

$5.48 £4.05

-44.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿35.34

$2.68 £1.98

-60.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.93 ฿129

$25.01 £18.50

-84.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.09

$1.89 £1.40

-21.16%

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

$27.1K ฿892.5K

$35.4K £26.2K

-23.33%

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

$27.5K ฿903.2K

$41.5K £30.7K

-33.83%

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

$103 ฿3,382

$631 £467

-83.70%

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

$10.99 ฿362

$13.86 £10.25

-20.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.51 ฿576

$36.30 £26.85

-51.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.5 ฿1,761

$48.32 £35.75

10.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ฿246

$15.13 £11.19

-50.56%

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

$557 ฿18.3K

$1,262 £934

-55.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ฿390.0K

$22.4K £16.6K

-47.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.1 ฿2,108

$91.6 £67.8

-30.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.07 ฿957

$46.23 £34.20

-37.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,157

$67.8 £50.1

41.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 ฿2,972

$144 £106

-37.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$730 ฿24.0K

$721 £534

1.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ฿16.4K

$585 £433

-14.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 ฿68.8K

$1,250 £925

67.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 ฿39.8K

$1,112 £823

8.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,596 ฿118.3K

$5,288 £3,912

-32.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,512 ฿82.7K

$3,952 £2,924

-36.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿16.6K

$2,511 £1,857

-79.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.07

9.86%

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

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Last update for Perth: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $730 in Phuket and $721 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 399% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $33.00 in Phuket vs $82.0 in Perth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $282 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 82% lower than in Perth. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 399% lower in Perth. 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: $730 in Phuket versus $721 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $557 in Phuket versus $1,262 in Perth. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Perth. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,278 in Perth, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Perth. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,253 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Perth 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 82% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.