Retiring in Phuket from Australia: costs, visas and daily life

Who Phuket suits, and what to weigh up

Phuket suits you if you want beaches and a straight flight home. Non-stop flights reach Phuket from Perth in about 6 and a half hours, and from Melbourne and Sydney in about 9. The island is about 48 km long and 21 km at its widest, Wikivoyage says, with busy beaches on the west coast, quieter ones at each end and Phuket Town in the south-east.

It costs more than Hua Hin or Chiang Mai. On our estimate a couple needs about A$3,820 a month with rent, against A$3,280 in Hua Hin and A$2,790 in Chiang Mai.

Getting around is the other thing to weigh up. The island is hilly, the pink town buses run from about 6.30am to 8.30pm and the blue beach buses from about 7am to 6pm, Wikivoyage says, and Smartraveller says road accidents are common in resort areas, Phuket included. The rainy season runs from May to November. The two private hospitals on the Australian Embassy’s list are both in the Phuket Town district.

What a month costs

A month in Phuket costs about A$3,820 for a couple and A$2,750 for one person, rent included. That’s our estimate. We took Numbeo’s living costs for one person (without rent), added a one-bedroom city-centre rent, then added 30% for eating out, local trips and extras. For a couple we multiplied the living costs by 1.8. Everything is converted at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s average exchange rate for the 12 months to September 2026 (A$1 = 22.44 baht). Health insurance is not included. Numbeo’s Phuket figures, updated 24 October 2026, are about 23,060 baht a month (about A$1,030) in living costs for one person and 24,470 baht (about A$1,090) for the flat.

A month in Phuket	Couple	One person
Rent, one-bedroom flat in the centre	about A$1,090	about A$1,090
Living costs (food, transport, bills)	about A$1,850	about A$1,030
Eating out, local trips and extras (30%)	about A$880	about A$630
Total	about A$3,820	about A$2,750

How a month in Phuket compares

For a couple

Phuket, our estimate

A$3,820

Comfortable in Australia

A$6,580

Age Pension, the most paid in Australia

A$4,040

About A$2,760 a month less than a comfortable month in Australia.

For one person

Phuket, our estimate

A$2,750

Comfortable in Australia

A$4,680

Age Pension, the most paid in Australia

A$2,680

About A$1,930 a month less than a comfortable month in Australia.

Not built the same way: Australia's figure (ASFA Retirement Standard, comfortable, June quarter 2026) assumes you own your home and includes health insurance; our estimate for Phuket includes rent and leaves health insurance out. Age Pension: the most paid in Australia from 20 September 2026; living overseas for good, the base rate is about A$3,710 a month for a couple and A$2,460 for one person.

Short furnished lets in the dry months usually cost more than the long-term rent in this table.

Against the Age Pension. After 12 weeks away, the most the Age Pension pays is the base rate. That’s about A$2,460 a month for one person and A$3,710 for a couple, before tax (from 20 September 2026). On our estimate the base rate on its own falls short of a month in Phuket, by about A$110 for a couple and A$290 for one person, before health insurance.

Peter, an Age Pensioner from Victoria’s Yarra Valley, told the ABC in June 2026 that his rent fell from $1,120 a month there to $400 for a two-bedroom house on Phuket. He named health insurance as the drawback. Peter’s story has more.

Everyday prices. Numbeo’s Phuket averages on 26 October 2026, from 41 contributors over the past year:

Item	Price
Meal at a cheap local restaurant	150 baht (about A$7)
Three-course meal for two, mid-range	1,088 baht (about A$48)
Bottle of mid-range wine, from a shop	623 baht (about A$28)
Local transport, one trip	50 baht (about A$2)
Taxi, to start	100 baht (about A$4)
Power, water and rubbish for an 85 square metre flat, a month	3,300 baht (about A$150)
Home internet, a month	577 baht (about A$26)
One-bedroom flat outside the centre, a month	15,600 baht (about A$700)
Three-bedroom flat in the centre, a month	70,025 baht (about A$3,120)

What costs more than you’d expect. Health cover is the big one, and our estimate leaves it out. Getting around costs more than in a flat town: Wikivoyage puts the minimum tuk-tuk fare at 200 baht (about A$9). Visas cost money each year: Samut Prakan Immigration lists 1,900 baht (about A$85) for an extension of stay and 1,000 baht (about A$45) for a re-entry permit.

Renting long term. Under section 38 of the Immigration Act, whoever houses a foreigner must tell immigration within 24 hours, on a form known as TM.30. The Thailand page sets out how leases and deposits usually work.

Visas for Australians

Since 15 September 2026, Australians get 30 days in Thailand without a visa, the Royal Thai Embassy in Washington says. Thai immigration can grant one extension of up to 30 days, for 1,900 baht (about A$85 at the RBA’s 12-month average rate). The free Thailand Digital Arrival Card is lodged online within 3 days before you land, and Smartraveller says you may only be allowed 2 visa-free entries a calendar year without a justifiable reason.

A full winter or longer needs a retirement visa, from age 50. The Non-O needs 800,000 baht (about A$35,650) in a Thai bank, or 65,000 baht (about A$2,900) a month in income, or a mix. The one-year Non-O-A, applied for before you go, adds health insurance of at least 3,000,000 baht (about A$134,000). None of them allow work. Stay more than 90 days and you report your address every 90 days, online, by mail or in person, the Thai government’s information site says.

Papers to get in Australia. The Non-O-A and the 10-year O-X ask for a police check and a medical certificate, each issued within 3 months. An Australian Federal Police national police check costs A$57, and the AFP says most online checks arrive within a few days. DFAT legalises documents with an apostille or authentication certificate when an embassy asks for it.

The Thailand page has the visa table, the partner rules and the e-Visa steps, and our Thailand retirement visa guide goes through each visa. Terms change, so check with the Royal Thai Embassy, Thai immigration or a licensed visa agent in Thailand.

Phuket follows Thailand’s visitor rules. Our table of visitor stays for Australians sets them beside 24 other countries.

Your Age Pension and Medicare in Phuket

Services Australia says your Age Pension keeps paying while you live in Thailand. The Energy Supplement stops and your Pensioner Concession Card is cancelled after 6 weeks. After 12 weeks the Pension Supplement stops completely (since 20 September 2026). After 26 weeks the rate can be reduced if you lived in Australia less than 35 years between age 16 and pension age. Thailand has no social security agreement with Australia, so you claim before you leave, while you still live in Australia.

Medicare never pays for treatment in Phuket, and none of Australia’s 11 reciprocal health care agreements is with a country in Asia. An Australian citizen who moves overseas can still use Medicare in Australia for up to 5 years after leaving. Permanent residents lose their enrolment 12 months after they leave. The Thailand page has the overseas pension rates.

How long can you stay in Phuket? What changes at home

Up to 30 days in Phuket needs no visa, only the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card. One extension of up to 30 days takes you to 60, and a full winter or longer needs a retirement visa, from age 50. At home, the Age Pension rules change at 6, 12 and 26 weeks away wherever you are.

June to August falls in Phuket’s rainy season, which runs from May to November, Smartraveller says, so the dry months, December to March, take in our summer instead. Stay more than 180 days in a calendar year and Thailand counts you as a tax resident. Our guide to how long pensioners can travel overseas sets out each row.

Health care and insurance

The Embassy’s list has two private hospitals in Phuket, and you pay for all of it. Smartraveller says private hospitals in Thailand’s major cities have high standards of care.

What is where. The Australian Embassy in Bangkok keeps a list of hospitals, last updated August 2025. For Phuket it lists:

Type	How many	Where	Languages listed
Private hospital	2	Both in the Mueang Phuket (Phuket Town) district	English and Thai

The list has no government hospital for Phuket and nothing in the beach areas, so from Patong, Rawai or the north you drive to the Phuket Town district for a hospital on the list. Smartraveller says the Australian Consulate-General in Phuket can give consular help.

Paying. Before they admit you, Smartraveller says, hospitals want a deposit and check your insurance and that your visa is valid. Without those you may pay cash up front, and costs can be very high. For an ambulance or rescue, call 1669.

When care means Bangkok. Smartraveller says hospitals in Bangkok and other large cities can treat serious illnesses and accidents. Elsewhere you may need to be moved, and medical evacuation can be very expensive; the Australian Government won’t pay for it. Bangkok is a short flight away. Whether a treatment is done on the island is a question for the hospital and your insurer.

Medicines. Smartraveller says Australians have been arrested for carrying medicine for ADHD, depression and anxiety without the right papers, and for medicine bought at a Thai pharmacy without a prescription. Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration allows up to 30 days’ supply of psychotropic medicines with a prescription. More, up to 90 days, needs a permit applied for online at least 15 days ahead. Our guide to taking medicines overseas has the Australian side.

Insurance. Smartraveller says travel insurance must cover all medical costs, evacuation included. To live there, the usual type is international health insurance. The Non-O-A needs at least 3,000,000 baht (about A$134,000) of cover. Ask the oldest age you can join, whether cover continues as you get older, and whether it pays for a transfer to Bangkok. The age limits for international health insurance are worth checking early. If you’d like help working out where to start, book a free planning session on Zoom.

Where Australians live

There are no official figures on where Australians live on Phuket. These areas run roughly from south to north, as Wikivoyage describes them, with hospitals from the Australian Embassy’s list.

Area	What it’s like	Getting around	Hospital	Airport
Phuket Town	The administrative centre in the south-east, with old shophouses and markets, and the cheapest places to stay	Shared buses within town; ride-hailing	Both private hospitals on the list are in this district	In the north of the island
Rawai and Nai Harn	The southern tip: Rawai is where boats leave for nearby islands and locals eat on the beach; Nai Harn is a quieter beach	Hilly; shared buses to town by day; a car helps	A drive to the Phuket Town district	The far end of the island from the airport
Kata and Karon	West-coast beaches, quieter than Patong; Karon is the second most built-up	Shared buses and taxis; hills between beaches	A drive to the Phuket Town district	A long drive south
Patong	The biggest beach resort, known for its nightlife	Busy; tuk-tuks, taxis, ride-hailing	Over the hill to the Phuket Town district	A long drive south
Kamala, Surin and Bang Tao	West-coast beaches north of Patong, quieter the further north you go	A car or taxis	A drive to the Phuket Town district	Closer to the airport
Mai Khao and Nai Yang	Very quiet beaches in the north, with large resorts	A car	The longest drive to the hospitals on the list	Beside the airport

Phuket Town has the old shophouses, the markets and both hospitals on the Embassy’s list. Wikivoyage says the pink shared buses in town cost 15 baht (less than A$1) a trip.

Rawai and Nai Harn are at the southern tip. Wikivoyage describes Rawai as the jumping-off point for nearby islands and a place locals go to eat on the beach.

Kata, Karon and Patong are on the west coast. Patong is the largest and busiest resort, known for its nightlife, and Kata and Karon are quieter. Smartraveller asks for extra care in the night-time entertainment areas of Phuket.

The north, from Kamala up to Mai Khao, gets quieter the further you go, Wikivoyage says, and Mai Khao and Nai Yang are close to the airport. They’re also the furthest from the hospitals in the Phuket Town district. A trial stay in the rainy season shows how the roads and the beaches change.

Renting or buying a home

Foreigners can rent and can own a condo, but in general can’t own land. Under the Condominium Act, foreigners together can own no more than 49% of the unit area in a building, the Thai government’s information site says, and the money must come from overseas through a Thai bank. A house usually means leasing the land, for up to 30 years. Using Thai nominee shareholders to hold land is illegal.

Numbeo’s Phuket averages put a flat in the centre at about 140,460 baht a square metre (about A$6,260). The person to ask is a property lawyer in Thailand, who can check the title, the building’s foreign quota and the lease terms. Smartraveller says the Consulate-General in Phuket lists lawyers on its website. The Thailand page has the ownership routes and the risks, and our guide to keeping, renting or selling the family home covers the Australian side.

Tax: there and at home

Thailand’s Revenue Department says you become a Thai tax resident if you spend more than 180 days there in a calendar year. A resident pays Thai tax on foreign income brought in, and that now covers income earned from 1 January 2024, in a year you are resident, whenever you bring it in. Australia and Thailand have had a tax treaty since 1989, and it decides which country taxes a pension.

At home, a foreign resident for Australian tax loses the tax-free threshold, and Australian income such as rent is taxed at 30% from the first dollar (2025-26). See tax residency when you retire overseas and the Thailand page on the treaty and the 2024 change. Talk to a registered tax agent in Australia and a tax adviser in Thailand before you go.

Money and banking

Away more than 12 months, Services Australia pays the Age Pension every 4 weeks into an Australian or overseas account. A Thai account matters because the Non-O counts money held in a Thai bank. Thai banks set their own rules for foreigners, so ask what they need from someone on your visa.

Your rent is in baht. At the RBA’s average rate, Numbeo’s central one-bedroom rent is about A$1,090 a month; if the Australian dollar fell 10%, it would cost about A$1,210. The Thai embassy in London says foreign currency over US$20,000 (about A$28,910) must be declared when you bring it in or take it out. Smartraveller says to check ATMs for card skimmers.

Day to day

Language. Thai is the official language. Smartraveller says services can be limited in public health facilities.

Getting around without driving. Wikivoyage lists two kinds of shared bus: pink ones in Phuket Town, 15 baht (less than A$1) a trip, from about 6.30am to 8.30pm, and blue ones out to the beaches from about 7am to 6pm, which cost more. A larger bus runs between the airport and the beaches for 100 baht (about A$4) a trip, whatever the distance. Metered taxis, tuk-tuks and ride-hailing apps fill the gaps, and Wikivoyage warns that traffic builds at school times. Agree the fare first for a tuk-tuk, Smartraveller says, and call the Tourist Police on 1155 if a driver causes trouble.

Driving. Smartraveller says you need an International Driving Permit plus your Australian licence, and a motorbike needs a motorcycle licence, whatever rental shops say. Don’t hand over your passport to a jet ski or motorbike hire business as a guarantee, it adds, because some ask for money for damage before they give it back.

Safety. Smartraveller advises a high degree of caution for Thailand overall (updated 26 October 2026), and Phuket is outside the areas where it sets a higher level. It says attacks are possible anywhere, Phuket included. It also reports bag snatching, drink spiking, inflated bar bills, and strong rips at some beaches, where lifesaving services are rare. Wikivoyage says drownings happen in the rainy season, so heed the warning flags.

The weather, month by month. Phuket is warm all year. The dry months are December to March, and the rain builds from April, peaking in September:

Month in Phuket	Average high	Average low	Rain	Rain days
January	32.4°C	23.9°C	23 mm	4
February	33.3°C	24.3°C	26 mm	3
March	33.8°C	24.9°C	59 mm	6
April	33.7°C	25.3°C	138 mm	11
May	32.5°C	25.1°C	270 mm	20
June	32.1°C	25.0°C	237 mm	19
July	31.7°C	24.6°C	284 mm	20
August	31.7°C	24.8°C	283 mm	19
September	31.2°C	24.2°C	387 mm	23
October	31.4°C	24.1°C	296 mm	22
November	31.3°C	24.3°C	174 mm	16
December	31.5°C	24.0°C	62 mm	8

Figures: the Thai Meteorological Department, published by the World Meteorological Organization. Smartraveller says insect-borne illnesses such as dengue are common in the rainy season, May to November in Phuket.

Public holidays. The Bank of Thailand has set 18 bank holidays for 2027, including Songkran (Thai New Year) on 13 to 15 April, and banks close on these days.

Making friends. Something weekly, such as a Thai class or an early swim with the same group, means seeing the same faces each time. If you’re going alone, see retiring overseas single.

Getting there and coming home

Phuket has its own international airport, in the north of the island. BITRE’s June 2026 figures show scheduled non-stop flights to Phuket from Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. On Flightmapper’s schedules they take about 6 and a half hours from Perth, 8 hours 50 minutes from Melbourne and about 9 hours from Sydney. From Brisbane, Adelaide and other cities you change planes, for example in Bangkok, which has non-stop flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Phuket is 3 hours behind Brisbane all year. It’s 3 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne in our winter, 4 in daylight saving, and 1 hour behind Perth. Routes and days change, so check from your city when you book.

Phuket for over 50s, 60s and 70s

Phuket uses Thailand’s retirement visas, which start at 50. What changes after that is mostly how the hills and the drive to the hospitals suit you.

In your 50s

Turning 50 is what opens Thailand’s retirement visas. A Non-O needs 800,000 baht (about A$35,650) in a Thai bank, or 65,000 baht (about A$2,900) a month in income, or a mix, and none of the retirement visas allow work. The ATO says super generally opens at 60 once you retire, or at 65 if you’re still working, so before then the money test is met from savings or income.

In your 60s

From 60, super can come into it if you’ve retired; a licensed financial adviser can look at your own. Age Pension age is 67, and with no social security agreement between Thailand and Australia, you claim while you still live in Australia, up to 13 weeks before you turn 67. On our estimate the base rate falls about A$110 a month short of a Phuket month for a couple. CHOICE reports one insurer that caps trips beyond the Pacific at 90 days once you’re over 65, so check the trip length a policy allows before you book a full winter.

In your 70s

Phuket is hilly, the shared buses stop in the evening, and both hospitals on the Embassy’s list are in the Phuket Town district. Living closer to town, or somewhere a taxi is easy to get, matters more now. Serious cases can mean Bangkok, a short flight away, and Smartraveller says medical evacuation can be very expensive. Of the 34 annual multi-trip policies in CHOICE’s May 2026 table, 31 reach 70; our guide to travel insurance for over 70s covers the age limits.

Your first steps

One order that works, from a first visit to living there. A month or a winter away needs only some of these steps. The right order for you depends on your health, your home and your money.

1. Ask for help first. Book a free planning session on Zoom, or contact our team. Once we understand your situation, we can point you in the right direction.
2. Visit in the dry months and again in the rainy season, staying in more than one area. See trying before you move.
3. Time the trip from each area to the Phuket Town hospitals, at a busy hour.
4. Talk it over with your partner and family early, including who would fly over if you got sick. See talking to your family.
5. Check what happens to your pension at 6, 12 and 26 weeks, and claim it while you still live in Australia. See taking your Age Pension overseas.
6. Find out what health cover you can get at your age, starting with travel insurance for long stays.
7. See your GP about each medicine, and ask the Royal Thai Embassy which need a Thai FDA permit. See retiring overseas with a health condition.
8. Work out what happens to the house, and whether it counts for the pension while you are away.
9. Choose a visa from the embassy’s current checklist, then order the police check, medical certificate and any legalised papers in Australia. See our visa guides.
10. Ask a registered tax agent how Thailand’s 180-day rule and the treaty would treat your income.
11. Rent short first, then sign a lease once you know the street. See what changes at home on a long stay.
12. Once there, keep up the 90-day reports and yearly extensions, and ask the hospitals how they want to be paid.
13. Keep a plan for coming home: where you’d live, and how the pension and Medicare restart.

Questions people ask

Is Phuket a good place to retire?

It depends what you need. Phuket has beaches, private hospitals and non-stop flights to Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. On the other side, it costs more than Hua Hin or Chiang Mai on our estimate, it’s hilly with few buses, and the visa-free stay is now 30 days.

How much does it cost to live in Phuket?

Our estimate for a month is about A$3,820 for a couple and A$2,750 for one person, rent included (October 2026), before health insurance. Peter, an Age Pensioner, told the ABC in June 2026 that he pays $400 a month for a two-bedroom house there.

Where do Australians live in Phuket?

There are no official figures. The areas the guides describe run from Phuket Town and Rawai in the south, through Kata, Karon and Patong on the west coast, to quieter beaches in the north near the airport.

Is there a hospital in Phuket?

Yes. The Australian Embassy’s list has two private hospitals, both in the Phuket Town district. Hospitals want a deposit or proof of insurance before they admit you, Smartraveller says.

Is Phuket good for over 70s?

It can be, with the right base. The hills, the evening end of the bus service and the drive to the Phuket Town hospitals matter more now. Serious care can mean Bangkok, so ask an insurer whether a policy pays for the transfer.

Can over 50s retire in Phuket?

Yes, on a Thai retirement visa, which starts at 50. The Non-O needs 800,000 baht (about A$35,650) in a Thai bank, or 65,000 baht (about A$2,900) a month in income, or a mix. None of the retirement visas allow work.

Can I get travel insurance for Phuket at 75?

Usually, though the choice narrows: in CHOICE’s May 2026 table, 65 of 76 single-trip policies reach 75. Smartraveller says travel insurance must cover all medical costs, evacuation included, so declare every condition.

When is the rainy season in Phuket?

Smartraveller says it usually runs from May to November. On Thai Meteorological Department figures, September is the wettest month and January and February the driest.