Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cranbourne and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,446 in Cranbourne, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cranbourne
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,446
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,446 in Cranbourne versus $1,208 in Phuket.

  • Cranbourne $2,446
  • Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,501 in Cranbourne versus $2,027 in Phuket.

  • Cranbourne $3,501
  • Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,556 in Cranbourne versus $2,845 in Phuket.

  • Cranbourne $4,556
  • Phuket $2,845

Living in Cranbourne is roughly 102% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cranbourne is 80% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cranbourne
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.55 A$12.30
$4.40 ฿147
94.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$83.7 A$121
$32.26 ฿1,078
159.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.31 A$17.71
$8.76 ฿293
40.53%
Cappuccino
$2.70 A$3.88
$2.83 ฿94.5
-4.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 A$3.94
$0.90 ฿30.14
204.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 A$2.37
$0.47 ฿15.56
251.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.77 A$9.74
$2.55 ฿85.2
165.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.54 A$10.85
$3.83 ฿128
96.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cranbourne
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.61 A$3.76
$1.73 ฿57.7
50.87%
White Bread (500g)
$3.28 A$4.72
$1.47 ฿49.11
123.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.75 A$5.40
$1.51 ฿50.6
148.34%
Eggs
$4.89 A$7.03
$2.17 ฿72.7
125.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.00 A$14.39
$19.70 ฿658
-49.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.82 A$15.57
$3.34 ฿112
223.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.15 A$17.49
$11.16 ฿373
8.87%
Apples (1kg)
$3.21 A$4.62
$2.85 ฿95.1
12.63%
Banana (1kg)
$3.40 A$4.89
$1.70 ฿56.9
100.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.04 A$5.82
$2.19 ฿73.3
84.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.53 A$5.08
$2.05 ฿68.4
72.20%
Potato (1kg)
$3.42 A$4.92
$1.45 ฿48.57
135.86%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 A$3.15
$1.38 ฿46.16
58.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 A$2.21
$1.07 ฿35.69
43.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 A$2.28
$0.51 ฿16.91
209.80%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$50.6 A$72.8
$4.26 ฿142
1087.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.29 A$32.08
$18.58 ฿621
19.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$8.63 A$12.42
$1.78 ฿59.7
384.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.16 A$7.42
$2.85 ฿95.2
81.05%
🚌 Getting Around
Cranbourne
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 A$1.97
$2.26 ฿75.6
-39.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$80.9 A$116
$22.10 ฿738
265.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.46 A$9.29
$3.01 ฿101
114.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 A$2.07
$1.06 ฿35.34
35.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.03 A$34.57
$3.86 ฿129
522.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 A$1.90
$1.45 ฿48.45
-8.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.5K A$38.2K
$26.3K ฿879.9K
0.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.5K A$42.4K
$26.9K ฿900.4K
9.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cranbourne
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$261 A$375
$96.4 ฿3,221
170.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.69 A$39.85
$11.04 ฿369
150.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.99 A$33.08
$17.14 ฿573
34.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cranbourne
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.04 A$56.2
$52.2 ฿1,744
-25.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.35 A$24.97
$11.16 ฿373
55.47%
Cinema Ticket
$8.66 A$12.46
$7.81 ฿261
10.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cranbourne
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,170 A$3,122
$556 ฿18.6K
290.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.9K A$28.7K
$11.6K ฿387.0K
72.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cranbourne
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$77.1 A$111
$64.2 ฿2,146
20.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.96 A$40.23
$28.69 ฿959
-2.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 A$156
$95.4 ฿3,187
13.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$120 A$173
$88.0 ฿2,940
36.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cranbourne
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,386 A$1,995
$737 ฿24.6K
88.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 A$1,728
$462 ฿15.5K
159.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,134 A$3,071
$2,095 ฿70.0K
1.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,819 A$2,617
$1,201 ฿40.1K
51.44%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,758 A$8,286
$3,488 ฿116.6K
65.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,846 A$6,973
$2,523 ฿84.3K
92.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cranbourne
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,753 A$2,522
$501 ฿16.7K
250.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.84
5.57
4.85%

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

Last update for Cranbourne: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cranbourne
$1.2K
Phuket
$462 61.5% $739
Groceries & Markets
Cranbourne
$422
Phuket
$269 36.4% $153
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cranbourne
$312
Phuket
$125 60% $187
Eating Out
Cranbourne
$204
Phuket
$121 40.6% $83
Clothing & Footwear
Cranbourne
$150
Phuket
$124 17.2% $26
Getting Around
Cranbourne
$100
Phuket
$39 60.6% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Cranbourne
$56
Phuket
$68 20.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,386 in Cranbourne and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cranbourne pays 250% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $84.0 in Cranbourne vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $422 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Cranbourne
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
02:15 2:15 AM
22:15 10:15 PM
4 h behind Cranbourne
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,281
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cranbourne Phuket 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cranbourne
  • 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
Cranbourne vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Cranbourne and in Phuket?
Cranbourne and Phuket differ by about 102% in total monthly costs ($2,446 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Cranbourne or Phuket?
Average pay runs 250% higher in Cranbourne, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Cranbourne and in Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,386 in Cranbourne versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Cranbourne and Phuket?
Childcare runs $2,170 in Cranbourne versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Cranbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,446 in Cranbourne, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cranbourne. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Cranbourne and Phuket?
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.
Is Cranbourne or Phuket safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Cranbourne 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.
Where should expats move: Cranbourne or Phuket?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 102% less than in Cranbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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