Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sale, Australia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,520 in Sale, 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 Sale
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Sale Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,520

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,520 in Sale versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Sale $2,520
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,621 in Sale versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Sale $3,621
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,722 in Sale versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Sale $4,722
Phuket $3,115

Living in Sale 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: Sale is 86% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.47 A$24.95

$4.39 ฿148

297.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.1 A$119

$32.31 ฿1,089

157.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 A$14.74

$8.70 ฿293

18.62%

Cappuccino

$3.93 A$5.61

$2.72 ฿91.8

44.49%

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

$2.78 A$3.97

$0.93 ฿31.35

198.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 A$3.20

$0.50 ฿16.83

348.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 A$11.14

$2.53 ฿85.3

208.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.67 A$10.95

$3.63 ฿122

111.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 A$2.23

$1.74 ฿58.6

-10.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 A$3.96

$1.45 ฿48.89

91.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 A$3.26

$1.50 ฿50.6

52.00%

Eggs

$5.02 A$7.17

$2.17 ฿73.2

131.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.37 A$13.38

$19.09 ฿643

-50.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 A$13.52

$3.40 ฿115

178.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 A$20.95

$10.90 ฿367

34.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 A$5.36

$2.94 ฿99.1

27.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.27

$1.69 ฿57.0

76.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.59

$2.19 ฿73.9

46.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.62 A$6.60

$2.12 ฿71.6

117.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.88

$1.46 ฿49.15

86.30%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.41

$1.37 ฿46.10

73.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 A$3.46

$1.08 ฿36.26

124.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.21

$0.55 ฿18.38

181.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.21 A$60.3

$4.43 ฿149

852.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 A$20.10

$18.25 ฿615

-22.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.60 A$6.57

$1.77 ฿59.7

159.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.38 A$7.69

$2.88 ฿97.1

86.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.87

$1.45 ฿48.78

86.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.1 A$121

$54.9 ฿1,850

54.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 A$4.95

$1.51 ฿51.0

129.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 A$2.36

$0.78 ฿26.14

111.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.26 A$57.5

$3.84 ฿129

948.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.88

$1.49 ฿50.1

-12.08%

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

$30.0K A$42.8K

$26.9K ฿905.9K

11.44%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$26.3K ฿887.8K

-0.29%

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

$206 A$294

$97.8 ฿3,296

110.31%

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

$27.59 A$39.41

$11.29 ฿381

144.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 A$81.9

$17.19 ฿579

233.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.9 A$79.8

$68.3 ฿2,303

-18.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.46 A$24.94

$10.92 ฿368

59.89%

Cinema Ticket

$13.84 A$19.77

$7.43 ฿250

86.27%

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

$2,136 A$3,051

$530 ฿17.9K

302.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K A$29.3K

$18.8K ฿632.9K

9.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 A$109

$61.7 ฿2,078

24.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 A$76.5

$28.25 ฿952

89.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$153

$96.0 ฿3,235

11.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$86.8 ฿2,926

40.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 A$2,024

$721 ฿24.3K

96.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,216 A$1,736

$509 ฿17.1K

138.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,260 A$3,228

$1,950 ฿65.7K

15.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,805 A$2,578

$1,397 ฿47.1K

29.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,829 A$8,325

$4,192 ฿141.3K

39.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,031 A$7,184

$3,298 ฿111.2K

52.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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 Sale: October 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sale

$1.2K 48.3%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 58.1% $707

Groceries & Markets

Sale

$368 14.6%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 27.4% $101

Eating Out

Sale

$292 11.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 59.1% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sale

$291 11.5%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 56.5% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Sale

$162 6.4%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 24.1% $39

Getting Around

Sale

$108 4.3%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 38.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Sale

$84 3.3%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 0.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,417 in Sale and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Sale vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $368 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sale

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

19:38 7:38 PM

4 h behind Sale

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,673

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 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 = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sale Phuket 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sale
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

Sale 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.

You’d need roughly $3,779 in Sale and $1,940 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: $1,417 in Sale versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,136 in Sale 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 38% higher in Sale. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $2,520 in Sale, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sale. 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, Sale 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 Sale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.