Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Macquarie and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Macquarie and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Lake Macquarie is 32.9% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 62.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Lake Macquarie is 49.7% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 37.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lake Macquarie
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.91 A$19.78
$4.68 ฿151
175.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.1 A$118
$46.4 ฿1,502
66.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 A$14.79
$8.65 ฿280
11.68%
Cappuccino
$3.34 A$5.12
$3.09 ฿100
8.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 A$3.65
$0.73 ฿23.53
226.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2 A$3.07
$0.37 ฿11.95
440.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.35 A$9.72
$2.39 ฿77.4
165.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.96 A$10.66
$3.62 ฿117
92.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lake Macquarie
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 A$2.1
$2.24 ฿72.5
-38.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 A$2.2
$1.8 ฿58.2
-20.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 A$1.82
$2.24 ฿72.3
-46.88%
Eggs
$3.14 A$4.81
$2.23 ฿72.1
40.81%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.51 A$11.5
$19.31 ฿625
-61.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.07 A$9.3
$3.77 ฿122
61.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.78 A$18.05
$13.05 ฿422
-9.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 A$4.76
$3.28 ฿106
-5.18%
Banana (1kg)
$2.7 A$4.13
$1.63 ฿52.6
65.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.16 A$4.84
$2.4 ฿77.7
31.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.33 A$6.64
$1.99 ฿64.3
117.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.95 A$2.98
$1.53 ฿49.62
27.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.74 A$2.66
$1.49 ฿48.11
16.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 A$2.07
$1.02 ฿32.87
32.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 A$1.73
$0.48 ฿15.61
135.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$27.52 A$42.16
$4.32 ฿140
537.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.24 A$11.09
$21.68 ฿702
-66.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.62 A$4.02
$1.77 ฿57.3
48.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.15 A$3.3
$2.79 ฿90.4
-22.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Lake Macquarie
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.07 A$3.17
$1.35 ฿43.74
53.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.9 A$136
$11.76 ฿380
655.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.87 A$2.86
$3.15 ฿102
-40.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 A$2.37
$1 ฿32.3
55.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$46.5 A$71.2
$13.64 ฿442
240.91%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 A$1.82
$1.3 ฿42.2
-8.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.9K A$38.2K
$27.4K ฿885.2K
-8.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.2K A$30.9K
$33.9K ฿1.1M
-40.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lake Macquarie
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$204 A$313
$123 ฿3,970
66.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.26 A$15.72
$13.93 ฿451
-26.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.08 A$64.5
$18.24 ฿590
130.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lake Macquarie
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.44 A$75.7
$60.8 ฿1,966
-18.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.88 A$24.33
$17.11 ฿554
-7.19%
Cinema Ticket
$9.2 A$14.1
$9.07 ฿294
1.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lake Macquarie
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,446 A$2,215
$694 ฿22.5K
108.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,951 A$15.2K
$15.9K ฿514.4K
-37.40%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lake Macquarie
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.4 A$112
$57.5 ฿1,861
27.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.88 A$51.9
$34.51 ฿1,117
-1.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.6 A$117
$115 ฿3,727
-33.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$132 A$202
$84.8 ฿2,743
55.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lake Macquarie
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,240 A$1,900
$611 ฿19.8K
102.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$976 A$1,495
$442 ฿14.3K
120.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,007 A$3,074
$2,014 ฿65.2K
-0.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,055 A$3,148
$1,460 ฿47.2K
40.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,582 A$8,552
$4,244 ฿137.3K
31.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,951 A$7,584
$2,886 ฿93.4K
71.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lake Macquarie
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,783 A$7,327
$697 ฿22.5K
586.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.35
5.33
-18.39%

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

Last update for Lake Macquarie: October 29, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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