Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Douglas and Phuket

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.

123

Cost of Living Index in Port Douglas
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Port Douglas Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Port Douglas

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,559

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Port Douglas and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Port Douglas $2,559
Phuket $1,207

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

Port Douglas $3,834
Phuket $2,037

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

Port Douglas $5,110
Phuket $2,867

Living in Port Douglas is roughly 112% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.13 A$24.54

$4.58 ฿154

274.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 A$142

$32.48 ฿1,090

204.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.57 A$18.01

$8.55 ฿287

47.02%

Cappuccino

$4.47 A$6.40

$2.72 ฿91.4

64.34%

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

$3.12 A$4.46

$0.94 ฿31.38

231.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 A$3.79

$0.49 ฿16.46

438.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.00 A$10.03

$2.59 ฿86.9

170.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.12 A$11.63

$3.83 ฿129

112.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 A$2.66

$1.74 ฿58.3

6.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 A$3.80

$1.43 ฿48.02

85.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.61

$1.53 ฿51.2

64.71%

Eggs

$5.34 A$7.66

$2.17 ฿73.0

146.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 A$13.17

$19.15 ฿643

-52.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.57 A$19.44

$3.30 ฿111

311.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 A$21.29

$11.14 ฿374

33.39%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 A$5.92

$2.95 ฿98.9

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.08

$1.68 ฿56.4

69.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 A$5.26

$2.30 ฿77.1

59.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.64 A$8.07

$2.13 ฿71.6

164.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.54

$1.53 ฿51.3

61.44%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.63

$1.36 ฿45.74

86.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.76 A$3.95

$1.12 ฿37.60

146.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.59 A$3.72

$0.55 ฿18.31

370.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.97 A$64.4

$4.26 ฿143

955.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.83 A$19.81

$18.19 ฿611

-23.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 A$5.23

$1.74 ฿58.5

109.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 A$7.68

$2.79 ฿93.7

92.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 A$3.83

$2.22 ฿74.4

20.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.1 A$115

$22.06 ฿740

262.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 A$3.64

$2.91 ฿97.7

-12.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 A$2.86

$1.01 ฿33.94

98.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.60 A$61.0

$3.83 ฿128

1012.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.78

$1.49 ฿50.1

-16.78%

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

$30.4K A$43.6K

$26.7K ฿895.4K

14.04%

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

$40.3K A$57.8K

$26.7K ฿896.4K

51.04%

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

$162 A$232

$99.4 ฿3,335

62.99%

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

$35.15 A$50.4

$11.28 ฿379

211.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.4 A$95.1

$17.36 ฿583

282.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 A$83.5

$52.3 ฿1,755

11.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.90 A$25.64

$10.85 ฿364

64.98%

Cinema Ticket

$13.65 A$19.56

$7.57 ฿254

80.32%

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

$2,041 A$2,923

$558 ฿18.7K

265.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K A$19.9K

$11.5K ฿385.5K

20.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 A$128

$62.9 ฿2,110

41.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$28.58 ฿959

146.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 A$179

$96.1 ฿3,226

29.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$88.1 ฿2,955

50.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 A$2,096

$729 ฿24.5K

100.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 A$1,730

$460 ฿15.4K

162.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 A$2,932

$2,096 ฿70.3K

-2.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,965 A$2,815

$1,222 ฿41.0K

60.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,639 A$9,510

$3,459 ฿116.1K

91.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,060 A$7,249

$2,489 ฿83.5K

103.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

5.57

13.46%

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

Last update for Port Douglas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Douglas

$1.2K 47.2%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 61.9% $748

Groceries & Markets

Port Douglas

$409 16%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 34.5% $141

Eating Out

Port Douglas

$303 11.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 59.9% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Douglas

$263 10.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 51.4% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Port Douglas

$187 7.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 33.8% $63

Getting Around

Port Douglas

$103 4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 62.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Port Douglas

$86 3.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 21.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

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

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

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Douglas

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

3 h behind Port Douglas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

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 = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.56 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.46 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Port Douglas
Phuket

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

Port Douglas vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $3,838 in Port Douglas and $1,811 in Phuket 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: $1,463 in Port Douglas versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,041 in Port Douglas versus $558 in Phuket. 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, Port Douglas and Phuket 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.