Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dandenong and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Dandenong: $1,068 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Dandenong
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Dandenong Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Dandenong

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,068

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,068 per month in Dandenong vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Dandenong $1,068
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,360 per month in Dandenong vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Dandenong $2,360
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,651 per month in Dandenong vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Dandenong $3,651
Phuket $3,154

Dandenong is about 16% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Dandenong and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Dandenong 22% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 A$25.14

$4.47 ฿151

295.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.7 A$73.5

$32.41 ฿1,094

59.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 A$17.31

$8.81 ฿297

38.25%

Cappuccino

$4.11 A$5.84

$2.83 ฿95.5

45.23%

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

$2.31 A$3.29

$0.87 ฿29.43

165.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 A$3.29

$0.49 ฿16.67

373.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 A$8.02

$2.56 ฿86.4

120.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 A$5.02

$3.68 ฿124

-4.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 A$2.14

$1.66 ฿56.0

-9.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 A$3.53

$1.46 ฿49.35

69.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.51

$1.50 ฿50.6

64.67%

Eggs

$5.57 A$7.92

$2.09 ฿70.5

166.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 A$11.89

$19.07 ฿644

-56.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 A$11.02

$3.30 ฿111

134.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.87 A$16.87

$10.91 ฿368

8.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 A$4.91

$2.93 ฿99.0

17.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.89

$1.69 ฿57.1

62.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.05

$2.25 ฿75.8

-4.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 A$2.95

$2.08 ฿70.1

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 A$2.91

$1.51 ฿51.0

35.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.56

$1.38 ฿46.56

81.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 A$0.95

$1.07 ฿35.99

-37.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 A$2.24

$0.52 ฿17.52

203.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.38 A$64.5

$4.20 ฿142

980.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 A$14.81

$18.79 ฿634

-44.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.76 A$8.19

$1.82 ฿61.5

216.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 A$5.07

$2.84 ฿95.9

25.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.98 A$7.07

$1.45 ฿49.03

243.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.35 A$6.18

$3.02 ฿102

44.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.02

$1.02 ฿34.36

39.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.49 A$43.32

$3.69 ฿125

726.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.94

$1.47 ฿49.81

-7.48%

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

$29.9K A$42.6K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

11.85%

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

$24.2K A$34.3K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-9.50%

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

$228 A$324

$96.4 ฿3,254

136.91%

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

$15.81 A$22.46

$11.26 ฿380

40.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.75 A$60.8

$16.85 ฿569

153.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$17.48 A$24.84

$7.50 ฿253

133.07%

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

$2,493 A$3,543

$476 ฿16.1K

423.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K A$43.5K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

172.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.84 A$45.24

$62.4 ฿2,106

-48.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.19 A$24.42

$28.41 ฿959

-39.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$147

$94.3 ฿3,184

10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 A$162

$85.8 ฿2,898

32.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,109 A$2,997

$1,927 ฿65.1K

9.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 A$1,998

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-1.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,124 A$5,860

$502 ฿17.0K

721.06%

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 Dandenong: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dandenong

$314 29.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 15.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dandenong

$287 26.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 56.6% $162

Eating Out

Dandenong

$281 26.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.7% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Dandenong

$120 11.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.6% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Dandenong

$35 * 3.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 135% $47

Getting Around

Dandenong

$31 * 2.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 125% $39

Accommodation & Living

Dandenong

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Dandenong are about 8.2 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Dandenong versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Dandenong

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:12 10:12 AM

06:12 6:12 AM

4 h behind Dandenong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,127

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Dandenong Phuket 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dandenong
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

Dandenong vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,602 per month in Dandenong and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,068 in Dandenong and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Dandenong about 16% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,493 per month in Dandenong and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,068 in Dandenong and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,068 in Dandenong to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.