Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Macquarie and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,530 in Port Macquarie, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Port Macquarie
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Port Macquarie Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Port Macquarie

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,530

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,530 in Port Macquarie versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Port Macquarie $2,530
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,581 in Port Macquarie versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Port Macquarie $3,581
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,633 in Port Macquarie versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Port Macquarie $4,633
Phuket $3,154

Living in Port Macquarie is roughly 98% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Port Macquarie is 86% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.41 A$24.75

$4.47 ฿151

289.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 A$125

$32.41 ฿1,093

171.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 A$14.86

$8.81 ฿297

18.62%

Cappuccino

$3.96 A$5.63

$2.83 ฿95.4

39.93%

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

$2.48 A$3.53

$0.87 ฿29.41

185.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 A$2.31

$0.49 ฿16.65

230.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.16 A$8.75

$2.56 ฿86.3

140.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.22 A$8.84

$3.68 ฿124

69.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 A$3.07

$1.66 ฿55.9

30.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 A$4.44

$1.46 ฿49.31

113.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.08

$1.50 ฿50.5

91.33%

Eggs

$5.24 A$7.45

$2.09 ฿70.5

150.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.33 A$7.57

$19.07 ฿643

-72.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 A$14.68

$3.30 ฿111

213.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.17 A$17.30

$10.91 ฿368

11.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.48

$2.93 ฿98.9

7.51%

Banana (1kg)

$4.21 A$5.99

$1.69 ฿57.0

149.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.43

$2.25 ฿75.8

7.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 A$6.91

$2.08 ฿70.0

133.65%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 A$3.46

$1.51 ฿51.0

60.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.39

$1.38 ฿46.52

72.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 A$2.27

$1.07 ฿35.96

49.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.18

$0.52 ฿17.51

194.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.83 A$60.9

$4.20 ฿142

919.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.32 A$14.67

$18.79 ฿634

-45.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.34 A$6.17

$1.82 ฿61.5

138.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.38 A$7.64

$2.84 ฿95.8

89.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 A$4.01

$1.45 ฿48.98

94.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.2 A$131

$56.7 ฿1,912

62.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.37 A$4.80

$3.02 ฿102

11.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 A$2.43

$1.02 ฿34.33

67.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.86 A$52.4

$3.69 ฿125

898.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 A$1.79

$1.47 ฿49.76

-14.29%

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

$26.4K A$37.5K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-1.41%

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

$22.1K A$31.4K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-17.31%

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

$210 A$298

$96.4 ฿3,251

117.87%

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

$30.48 A$43.32

$11.26 ฿380

170.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 A$85.0

$16.85 ฿568

255.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.9 A$73.8

$67.2 ฿2,268

-22.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.97 A$14.17

$10.73 ฿362

-7.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.79 A$15.33

$7.50 ฿253

43.87%

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

$2,172 A$3,087

$476 ฿16.1K

356.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K A$30.7K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

91.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.7 A$123

$62.4 ฿2,104

39.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 A$78.0

$28.41 ฿958

93.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$148

$94.3 ฿3,181

10.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 A$157

$85.8 ฿2,895

29.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 A$1,961

$716 ฿24.2K

92.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 A$1,775

$491 ฿16.6K

154.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 A$3,060

$1,927 ฿65.0K

11.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,740 A$2,474

$1,431 ฿48.3K

21.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,822 A$8,275

$4,175 ฿140.9K

39.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,964 A$7,055

$3,045 ฿102.7K

63.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 A$3,958

$502 ฿16.9K

454.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

5.57

-4.31%

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

Last update for Port Macquarie: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Macquarie

$1.2K 49.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 60.7% $758

Groceries & Markets

Port Macquarie

$354 14%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 24.9% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Macquarie

$300 11.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 58.5% $176

Eating Out

Port Macquarie

$278 11%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.2% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Port Macquarie

$161 6.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 24.1% $39

Getting Around

Port Macquarie

$115 4.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 38.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Port Macquarie

$73 2.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 11.9% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,379 in Port Macquarie and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Macquarie pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Port Macquarie vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $354 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Macquarie

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

09:18 9:18 AM

4 h behind Port Macquarie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,793

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Macquarie Phuket 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Macquarie
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 Macquarie 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 Macquarie is about 5.5 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: $1,379 in Port Macquarie versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,172 in Port Macquarie versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Port Macquarie. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,530 in Port Macquarie, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Port Macquarie. 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 Macquarie 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 Macquarie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.