Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Port Douglas

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,559 in Port Douglas, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Port Douglas
Learn more

Port Douglas Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Port Douglas

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,559

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Port Douglas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,559 in Port Douglas.

Phuket $1,207
Port Douglas $2,559

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $3,834 in Port Douglas.

Phuket $2,037
Port Douglas $3,834

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $5,110 in Port Douglas.

Phuket $2,867
Port Douglas $5,110

Living in Phuket costs roughly 53% less than in Port Douglas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Port Douglas is 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$17.13 A$24.54

-73.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,090

$99.0 A$142

-67.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$12.57 A$18.01

-31.98%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.4

$4.47 A$6.40

-39.15%

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

$0.94 ฿31.38

$3.12 A$4.46

-69.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.46

$2.64 A$3.79

-81.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.9

$7.00 A$10.03

-63.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$8.12 A$11.63

-52.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.86 A$2.66

-6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿48.02

$2.65 A$3.80

-46.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$2.52 A$3.61

-39.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$5.34 A$7.66

-59.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿643

$9.19 A$13.17

108.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$13.57 A$19.44

-75.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿374

$14.86 A$21.29

-25.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.9

$4.13 A$5.92

-28.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.4

$2.84 A$4.08

-40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.1

$3.67 A$5.26

-37.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.6

$5.64 A$8.07

-62.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$2.47 A$3.54

-38.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.74

$2.53 A$3.63

-46.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.60

$2.76 A$3.95

-59.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.31

$2.59 A$3.72

-78.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$44.97 A$64.4

-90.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿611

$13.83 A$19.81

31.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$3.65 A$5.23

-52.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.7

$5.36 A$7.68

-47.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.4

$2.67 A$3.83

-16.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿740

$80.1 A$115

-72.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.7

$2.54 A$3.64

14.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.94

$2.00 A$2.86

-49.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$42.60 A$61.0

-91.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$1.24 A$1.78

20.16%

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

$26.7K ฿895.4K

$30.4K A$43.6K

-12.31%

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

$26.7K ฿896.4K

$40.3K A$57.8K

-33.79%

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

$99.4 ฿3,335

$162 A$232

-38.65%

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

$11.28 ฿379

$35.15 A$50.4

-67.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿583

$66.4 A$95.1

-73.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,755

$58.3 A$83.5

-10.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿364

$17.90 A$25.64

-39.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

$13.65 A$19.56

-44.54%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$2,041 A$2,923

-72.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿385.5K

$13.9K A$19.9K

-17.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,110

$89.1 A$128

-29.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿959

$70.5 A$101

-59.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,226

$125 A$179

-22.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,955

$132 A$189

-33.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.5K

$1,463 A$2,096

-50.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$1,208 A$1,730

-61.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.3K

$2,047 A$2,932

2.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.0K

$1,965 A$2,815

-37.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿116.1K

$6,639 A$9,510

-47.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.5K

$5,060 A$7,249

-50.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.32

-11.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Port Douglas: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Port Douglas

$1.2K 47.2% 163% $748

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Port Douglas

$409 16% 52.7% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Port Douglas

$263 10.3% 106% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Port Douglas

$187 7.3% 51.1% $63

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Port Douglas

$303 11.8% 150% $181

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Port Douglas

$86 3.4% 27% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Port Douglas

$103 4% 166% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $1,463 in Port Douglas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $99.0 in Port Douglas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $409 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Port Douglas

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

3 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 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 October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.56 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Port Douglas 5,840 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Port Douglas

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 Port Douglas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 112% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $3,838 in Port Douglas to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $1,463 in Port Douglas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $2,041 in Port Douglas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Port Douglas. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,559 in Port Douglas, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Port Douglas. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Port Douglas, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Port Douglas 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 112% less than in Port Douglas. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.