Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Hedland and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,517 in Port Hedland, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Port Hedland
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Port Hedland Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Port Hedland

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,517

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Port Hedland 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 Hedland and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,517 in Port Hedland versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Port Hedland $2,517
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,643 in Port Hedland versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Port Hedland $3,643
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,770 in Port Hedland versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Port Hedland $4,770
Phuket $3,115

Living in Port Hedland is roughly 95% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Hedland is 86% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.47 A$24.94

$4.39 ฿148

297.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$120

$32.31 ฿1,089

160.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.68 A$15.25

$8.70 ฿293

22.76%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.78

$2.72 ฿91.8

48.90%

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

$2.93 A$4.19

$0.93 ฿31.35

215.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.27

$0.50 ฿16.83

358.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 A$11.18

$2.53 ฿85.3

209.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 A$10.99

$3.63 ฿122

112.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 A$2.26

$1.74 ฿58.6

-9.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 A$3.95

$1.45 ฿48.89

90.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.18

$1.50 ฿50.6

48.67%

Eggs

$4.84 A$6.91

$2.17 ฿73.2

123.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$12.94

$19.09 ฿643

-52.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.23

$3.40 ฿115

172.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 A$20.66

$10.90 ฿367

32.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 A$5.32

$2.94 ฿99.1

26.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.37

$1.69 ฿57.0

81.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.75

$2.19 ฿73.9

52.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.75

$2.12 ฿71.6

123.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 A$3.81

$1.46 ฿49.15

82.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.44

$1.37 ฿46.10

75.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.42

$1.08 ฿36.26

121.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 A$2.27

$0.55 ฿18.38

189.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.72 A$61.0

$4.43 ฿149

864.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 A$20.05

$18.25 ฿615

-23.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.82 A$6.88

$1.77 ฿59.7

172.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.38

$2.88 ฿97.1

79.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 A$4.02

$1.45 ฿48.78

93.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.0 A$120

$54.9 ฿1,850

53.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 A$4.96

$1.51 ฿51.0

129.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.28

$0.78 ฿26.14

105.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.98 A$58.5

$3.84 ฿129

967.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.86

$1.49 ฿50.1

-12.75%

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

$29.9K A$42.7K

$26.9K ฿905.9K

11.30%

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

$26.6K A$38.0K

$26.3K ฿887.8K

0.88%

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

$206 A$294

$97.8 ฿3,296

110.17%

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

$27.81 A$39.72

$11.29 ฿381

146.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 A$81.9

$17.19 ฿579

233.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 A$80.5

$68.3 ฿2,303

-17.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 A$25.23

$10.92 ฿368

61.81%

Cinema Ticket

$14.12 A$20.17

$7.43 ฿250

90.04%

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

$2,113 A$3,018

$530 ฿17.9K

298.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K A$29.6K

$18.8K ฿632.9K

10.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.7 A$108

$61.7 ฿2,078

22.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 A$77.9

$28.25 ฿952

93.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$154

$96.0 ฿3,235

12.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$174

$86.8 ฿2,926

40.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 A$1,981

$721 ฿24.3K

92.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 A$1,729

$509 ฿17.1K

137.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 A$3,174

$1,950 ฿65.7K

13.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,843 A$2,632

$1,397 ฿47.1K

31.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,770 A$8,240

$4,192 ฿141.3K

37.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,965 A$7,091

$3,298 ฿111.2K

50.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,106 A$7,291

$492 ฿16.6K

938.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Port Hedland: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Hedland

$1.2K 48.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 58% $702

Groceries & Markets

Port Hedland

$367 14.6%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 27.2% $100

Eating Out

Port Hedland

$296 11.8%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 59.6% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Hedland

$291 11.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 56.6% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Port Hedland

$162 6.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 24.4% $40

Getting Around

Port Hedland

$107 4.2%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 38.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Port Hedland

$85 3.4%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 1.7% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,387 in Port Hedland and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Hedland pays about 10 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Port Hedland vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $367 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Hedland

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

1 h behind Port Hedland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,298

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.626 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.626 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Hedland Phuket 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Phuket is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Port Hedland is about 10 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,387 in Port Hedland versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,113 in Port Hedland versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Port Hedland. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,517 in Port Hedland, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Port Hedland. 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, Port Hedland and Phuket 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 49% less than in Port Hedland. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.