Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Richmond and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,450 in Richmond, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Richmond
Learn more

Richmond Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Richmond

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,450

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,450 in Richmond versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Richmond $2,450
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,462 in Richmond versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Richmond $3,462
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,475 in Richmond versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Richmond $4,475
Phuket $2,867

Living in Richmond is roughly 103% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Richmond is 81% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.31 A$14.76

$4.58 ฿154

125.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.2 A$118

$32.48 ฿1,090

153.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.34 A$17.68

$8.55 ฿287

44.33%

Cappuccino

$3.43 A$4.91

$2.72 ฿91.4

26.10%

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

$3.15 A$4.52

$0.94 ฿31.38

235.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 A$3.54

$0.49 ฿16.46

404.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 A$4.96

$2.59 ฿86.9

33.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.55 A$12.24

$3.83 ฿129

123.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 A$2.21

$1.74 ฿58.3

-11.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.89 A$4.14

$1.43 ฿48.02

102.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 A$3.77

$1.53 ฿51.2

72.55%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.99

$2.17 ฿73.0

157.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.98 A$10.00

$19.15 ฿643

-63.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 A$10.23

$3.30 ฿111

116.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.98 A$9.99

$11.14 ฿374

-37.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 A$5.69

$2.95 ฿98.9

34.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 A$4.49

$1.68 ฿56.4

86.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.48

$2.30 ฿77.1

36.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.79 A$6.87

$2.13 ฿71.6

124.88%

Potato (1kg)

$2.97 A$4.25

$1.53 ฿51.3

94.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 A$3.56

$1.36 ฿45.74

82.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.53

$1.12 ฿37.60

119.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.22

$0.55 ฿18.31

181.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$34.20 A$48.99

$4.26 ฿143

702.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.12 A$10.20

$18.19 ฿611

-60.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.71 A$8.18

$1.74 ฿58.5

228.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.32 A$7.63

$2.79 ฿93.7

90.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 A$3.83

$2.22 ฿74.4

20.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.2 A$109

$22.06 ฿740

245.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 A$6.49

$2.91 ฿97.7

55.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.01 ฿33.94

34.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.85 A$42.76

$3.83 ฿128

679.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.49 ฿50.1

-1.34%

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

$28.4K A$40.7K

$26.7K ฿895.4K

6.58%

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

$26.8K A$38.3K

$26.7K ฿896.4K

0.18%

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

$227 A$326

$99.4 ฿3,335

128.68%

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

$28.05 A$40.18

$11.28 ฿379

148.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.1 A$81.9

$17.36 ฿583

229.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 A$83.4

$52.3 ฿1,755

11.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.55 A$26.57

$10.85 ฿364

70.97%

Cinema Ticket

$15.01 A$21.50

$7.57 ฿254

98.28%

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

$2,346 A$3,360

$558 ฿18.7K

320.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.5K A$42.2K

$11.5K ฿385.5K

156.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.1 A$113

$62.9 ฿2,110

25.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 A$72.5

$28.58 ฿959

77.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 A$170

$96.1 ฿3,226

23.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$192

$88.1 ฿2,955

52.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,741

$729 ฿24.5K

66.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 A$1,769

$460 ฿15.4K

168.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,462 A$3,527

$2,096 ฿70.3K

17.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 A$2,555

$1,222 ฿41.0K

45.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,764 A$8,257

$3,459 ฿116.1K

66.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,275 A$6,124

$2,489 ฿83.5K

71.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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 Richmond: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Richmond

$1.2K 50.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 62.8% $775

Groceries & Markets

Richmond

$326 13.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 17.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Richmond

$312 12.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 59% $184

Eating Out

Richmond

$218 8.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 44.2% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Richmond

$172 7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 28% $48

Getting Around

Richmond

$98 4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 60.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Richmond

$88 3.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 23.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,215 in Richmond and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Richmond vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Richmond

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:17 7:17 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

4 h behind Richmond

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,587

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Richmond Phuket 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Richmond
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

Richmond vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 103% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,674 in Richmond 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: $1,215 in Richmond versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,346 in Richmond 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 22% higher in Richmond. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,450 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.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Richmond, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Richmond 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 103% less than in Richmond. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.