Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Townsville

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,606 in Townsville, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Townsville
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Townsville Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Townsville

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Townsville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,606 in Townsville.

Phuket $1,294
Townsville $2,606

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,842 in Townsville.

Phuket $2,204
Townsville $3,842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $5,078 in Townsville.

Phuket $3,115
Townsville $5,078

Living in Phuket costs roughly 50% less than in Townsville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Townsville is 93% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$22.82 A$32.52

-80.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$70.4 A$100

-54.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$12.16 A$17.33

-28.45%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$3.58 A$5.10

-24.02%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$2.64 A$3.76

-64.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$2.47 A$3.52

-79.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$8.53 A$12.16

-70.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$7.20 A$10.27

-49.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.77 A$2.53

-1.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$2.27 A$3.23

-36.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$1.36 A$1.94

10.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$5.23 A$7.45

-58.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$8.16 A$11.63

133.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$9.89 A$14.09

-65.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$13.37 A$19.06

-18.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$4.13 A$5.89

-28.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$2.70 A$3.85

-37.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$3.58 A$5.10

-38.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$4.29 A$6.11

-50.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$2.64 A$3.76

-44.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$2.85 A$4.07

-51.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$2.30 A$3.28

-53.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$3.26 A$4.64

-83.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$30.58 A$43.58

-85.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$10.71 A$15.26

70.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$6.93 A$9.88

-74.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$8.54 A$12.17

-66.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.11 A$3.01

-31.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$55.2 A$78.7

-0.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$2.62 A$3.74

-42.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$2.04 A$2.91

-61.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$44.02 A$62.7

-91.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.24 A$1.76

20.16%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$28.1K A$40.1K

-4.50%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$27.8K A$39.7K

-5.40%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$383 A$545

-74.45%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$36.42 A$51.9

-69.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$66.0 A$94.1

-73.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$55.4 A$78.9

23.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$19.73 A$28.11

-44.65%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$15.23 A$21.71

-51.21%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$2,084 A$2,970

-74.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$12.2K A$17.5K

53.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$92.5 A$132

-33.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$70.1 A$99.9

-59.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$164 A$233

-41.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$131 A$187

-33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$1,286 A$1,832

-43.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$1,025 A$1,460

-50.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$2,313 A$3,296

-15.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$1,845 A$2,630

-24.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$4,976 A$7,091

-15.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$4,112 A$5,860

-19.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$4,066 A$5,794

-87.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.68

-1.94%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Townsville: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Townsville

$1K 39.3% 101% $516

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Townsville

$389 14.9% 45.6% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Townsville

$485 18.6% 284% $359

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Townsville

$206 7.9% 67.8% $83

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Townsville

$340 13% 184% $220

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Townsville

$86 3.3% 3.2% $2.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Townsville

$77 2.9% 15.8% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $1,286 in Townsville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Townsville pays about 8.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $70 in Townsville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $389 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Townsville

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

02:22 2:22 AM

3 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

173,724

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 AUD = 0.702 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Townsville 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Townsville

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 Townsville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 50% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

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: $721 in Phuket versus $1,286 in Townsville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $2,084 in Townsville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $70 in Townsville. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,606 in Townsville, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Townsville. 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 Townsville are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Townsville on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.