Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $3,267 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

157

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,267

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,267 in Sydney versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sydney $3,267
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,847 in Sydney versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sydney $4,847
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,428 in Sydney versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sydney $6,428
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sydney is roughly 156% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sydney is 140% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.50 A$24.87

$4.47 ฿151

291.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$128

$32.41 ฿1,094

178.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.96 A$16.99

$8.81 ฿297

35.75%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.68

$2.83 ฿95.5

41.34%

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

$2.81 A$4.00

$0.87 ฿29.43

222.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 A$3.16

$0.49 ฿16.67

353.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.13 A$11.56

$2.56 ฿86.4

217.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 A$10.23

$3.68 ฿124

95.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 A$2.42

$1.66 ฿56.0

2.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 A$4.17

$1.46 ฿49.35

101.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.57

$1.50 ฿50.6

67.33%

Eggs

$5.66 A$8.04

$2.09 ฿70.5

170.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.22 A$17.36

$19.07 ฿644

-35.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 A$13.24

$3.30 ฿111

182.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.87 A$23.97

$10.91 ฿368

54.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.90 A$5.54

$2.93 ฿99.0

33.11%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.58

$1.69 ฿57.1

90.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 A$4.88

$2.25 ฿75.8

52.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 A$6.16

$2.08 ฿70.1

108.17%

Potato (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.75

$1.51 ฿51.0

121.85%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.41

$1.38 ฿46.56

73.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.32

$1.07 ฿35.99

118.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 A$1.65

$0.52 ฿17.52

123.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.47 A$64.6

$4.20 ฿142

982.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.99 A$19.88

$18.79 ฿634

-25.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.11 A$5.84

$1.82 ฿61.5

125.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 A$5.94

$2.84 ฿95.9

47.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 A$4.44

$1.45 ฿49.03

115.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 A$216

$56.7 ฿1,913

167.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.92

$3.02 ฿102

14.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.22

$1.02 ฿34.36

52.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.54 A$56.2

$3.69 ฿125

971.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 A$2.05

$1.47 ฿49.81

-1.36%

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

$29.9K A$42.5K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

11.66%

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

$27.5K A$39.1K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

3.10%

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

$251 A$356

$96.4 ฿3,254

160.34%

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

$27.76 A$39.44

$11.26 ฿380

146.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.4

$16.85 ฿569

244.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.7 A$100

$67.2 ฿2,270

5.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.25 A$33.04

$10.73 ฿362

116.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 A$25.33

$7.50 ฿253

137.73%

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

$2,358 A$3,351

$476 ฿16.1K

395.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K A$38.6K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

141.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$114

$62.4 ฿2,106

29.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.3 A$98.5

$28.41 ฿959

143.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$157

$94.3 ฿3,184

17.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$181

$85.8 ฿2,898

48.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,566 A$3,646

$716 ฿24.2K

258.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,792 A$2,547

$491 ฿16.6K

265.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,202 A$7,391

$1,927 ฿65.1K

169.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,156 A$4,485

$1,431 ฿48.3K

120.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K A$19.0K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

220.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,727 A$12.4K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

186.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,118 A$5,851

$502 ฿17.0K

719.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.57

6.28%

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

Last update for Sydney: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sydney

$1.8K 54.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 72.6% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$382 11.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 30.3% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$337 10.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 63% $212

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 59.3% $177

Getting Around

Sydney

$176 5.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 59.8% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$175 5.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$106 3.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 22.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,566 in Sydney and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sydney pays about 8.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $90 in Sydney vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $382 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

00:41 12:41 AM

4 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Sydney Phuket 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Sydney vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 156% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sydney is about 8.2 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: $2,566 in Sydney versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,358 in Sydney 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 44% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $3,267 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sydney. 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, Sydney 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 61% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.