Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Richmond, Australia

Name: Richmond
Address: Richmond, AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,462 in Richmond, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Richmond
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Richmond Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Richmond

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Richmond

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,462 in Richmond.

Phuket $1,294
Richmond $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,495 in Richmond.

Phuket $2,204
Richmond $3,495

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,529 in Richmond.

Phuket $3,115
Richmond $4,529

Living in Phuket costs roughly 47% less than in Richmond, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Richmond is 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$10.32 A$14.74

-57.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,089

$85.4 A$122

-62.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$12.49 A$17.84

-30.34%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.8

$3.49 A$4.99

-22.06%

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

$0.93 ฿31.35

$3.11 A$4.44

-70.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.83

$2.58 A$3.69

-80.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.3

$3.60 A$5.14

-29.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$8.57 A$12.24

-57.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$1.57 A$2.24

10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.89

$2.89 A$4.12

-49.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.57 A$3.67

-41.63%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.2

$5.55 A$7.92

-60.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿643

$6.83 A$9.75

179.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$6.83 A$9.75

-50.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿367

$6.84 A$9.76

59.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.1

$3.99 A$5.70

-26.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.03 A$4.33

-44.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.9

$3.16 A$4.51

-30.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$4.71 A$6.73

-54.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.15

$3.07 A$4.38

-52.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.10

$2.55 A$3.64

-46.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.26

$2.39 A$3.41

-54.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.38

$1.42 A$2.02

-61.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$35.44 A$50.6

-87.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿615

$7.20 A$10.28

153.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.7

$5.63 A$8.04

-68.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.1

$5.33 A$7.61

-45.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.78

$2.71 A$3.86

-46.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

$83.7 A$120

-34.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$4.56 A$6.52

-66.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.14

$1.36 A$1.94

-42.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$30.34 A$43.33

-87.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$1.50 A$2.14

-0.67%

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

$26.9K ฿905.9K

$29.8K A$42.5K

-9.75%

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

$26.3K ฿887.8K

$25.7K A$36.7K

2.59%

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

$97.8 ฿3,296

$228 A$326

-57.18%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$28.17 A$40.22

-59.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿579

$56.1 A$80.1

-69.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,303

$55.4 A$79.2

23.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$17.66 A$25.22

-38.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$17.62 A$25.16

-57.83%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$2,495 A$3,563

-78.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿632.9K

$30.2K A$43.1K

-37.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,078

$82.1 A$117

-24.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿952

$50.2 A$71.7

-43.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,235

$122 A$175

-21.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,926

$131 A$187

-33.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$1,404 A$2,005

-48.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,239 A$1,769

-58.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.7K

$2,254 A$3,219

-13.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,806 A$2,579

-22.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.3K

$5,896 A$8,420

-28.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.2K

$5,052 A$7,215

-34.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Richmond: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Richmond

$1.2K 50.3% 143% $730

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Richmond

$321 13% 20.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Richmond

$313 12.7% 148% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Richmond

$174 7.1% 41.4% $51

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Richmond

$220 8.9% 83.9% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Richmond

$91 3.7% 9% $7.5

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Richmond

$106 4.3% 60.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,404 in Richmond. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $85 in Richmond for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $321 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Richmond

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

22:57 10:57 PM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

28,587

💱 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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Between locations

Phuket Richmond 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Richmond

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 Richmond: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $3,693 in Richmond 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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,404 in Richmond. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $2,495 in Richmond. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Richmond. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,462 in Richmond, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Richmond. 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 Richmond are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Richmond. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.