Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rockhampton and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,987 in Rockhampton, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Rockhampton
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Rockhampton Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rockhampton

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,987

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,987 in Rockhampton versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Rockhampton $1,987
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,229 in Rockhampton versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Rockhampton $3,229
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,471 in Rockhampton versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Rockhampton $4,471
Phuket $3,154

Living in Rockhampton is roughly 55% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rockhampton is 46% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.51 A$29.05

$4.47 ฿151

358.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 A$119

$32.41 ฿1,092

158.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 A$14.03

$8.81 ฿297

12.37%

Cappuccino

$5.01 A$7.10

$2.83 ฿95.3

77.03%

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

$2.40 A$3.40

$0.87 ฿29.37

175.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 A$3.93

$0.49 ฿16.64

465.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.66 A$10.85

$2.56 ฿86.2

199.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 A$9.16

$3.68 ฿124

75.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 A$3.37

$1.66 ฿55.9

43.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 A$3.32

$1.46 ฿49.25

60.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.07

$1.50 ฿50.4

44.67%

Eggs

$3.84 A$5.44

$2.09 ฿70.4

83.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.86 A$9.72

$19.07 ฿642

-64.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.15 A$15.80

$3.30 ฿111

237.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.74 A$22.29

$10.91 ฿368

44.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 A$3.77

$2.93 ฿98.7

-9.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.92

$1.69 ฿56.9

21.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 A$2.65

$2.25 ฿75.7

-16.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 A$7.02

$2.08 ฿70.0

137.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 A$2.82

$1.51 ฿50.9

31.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.29

$1.38 ฿46.47

68.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 A$2.73

$1.07 ฿35.91

79.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.16

$0.52 ฿17.49

328.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$37.33 A$52.9

$4.20 ฿142

788.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 A$21.49

$18.79 ฿633

-19.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 A$4.98

$1.82 ฿61.4

93.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 A$8.40

$2.84 ฿95.7

108.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 A$2.44

$1.45 ฿48.93

18.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.2 A$89.6

$56.7 ฿1,909

11.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.89

$3.02 ฿102

14.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.02 ฿34.29

72.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.29 A$55.7

$3.69 ฿124

964.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 A$1.72

$1.47 ฿49.70

-17.69%

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

$29.8K A$42.3K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

11.41%

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

$22.9K A$32.4K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-14.29%

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

$203 A$288

$96.4 ฿3,247

111.17%

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

$23.89 A$33.84

$11.26 ฿380

112.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 A$95.8

$16.85 ฿568

301.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.77 A$56.3

$67.2 ฿2,266

-40.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.23 A$20.16

$10.73 ฿361

32.62%

Cinema Ticket

$15.89 A$22.51

$7.50 ฿253

111.87%

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

$1,776 A$2,516

$476 ฿16.0K

273.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,584 A$9,328

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-41.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 A$181

$62.4 ฿2,102

104.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 A$84.3

$28.41 ฿957

109.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 A$200

$94.3 ฿3,178

49.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.0 A$90.6

$85.8 ฿2,892

-25.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 A$1,161

$716 ฿24.1K

14.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$678 A$961

$491 ฿16.5K

38.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,625 A$2,302

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-15.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 A$2,194

$1,431 ฿48.2K

8.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,315 A$4,696

$502 ฿16.9K

560.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.27

5.57

12.57%

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

Last update for Rockhampton: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rockhampton

$678 34.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 27.6% $187

Groceries & Markets

Rockhampton

$358 18%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.6% $91

Eating Out

Rockhampton

$326 16.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 62.7% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rockhampton

$295 14.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 57.8% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Rockhampton

$176 8.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.9% $55

Getting Around

Rockhampton

$82 4.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 14.3% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Rockhampton

$72 3.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 14.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $819 in Rockhampton and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rockhampton pays about 6.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Rockhampton vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $358 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Rockhampton

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:25 3:25 PM

12:25 12:25 PM

3 h behind Rockhampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,151

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Rockhampton Phuket 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rockhampton
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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

Rockhampton vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 36% 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 Rockhampton is about 6.6 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: $819 in Rockhampton versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,776 in Rockhampton 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 34% higher in Rockhampton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,987 in Rockhampton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rockhampton. 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, Rockhampton 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 36% less than in Rockhampton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.