Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Muswellbrook and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,294 in Muswellbrook, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Muswellbrook
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Muswellbrook Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Muswellbrook

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,294

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,294 per month in Muswellbrook vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Muswellbrook $2,294
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,598 per month in Muswellbrook vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Muswellbrook $3,598
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,902 per month in Muswellbrook vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Muswellbrook $4,902
Phuket $3,154

Muswellbrook costs about 79% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Muswellbrook sits 69% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 A$24.47

$4.47 ฿151

285.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$121

$32.41 ฿1,094

162.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 A$15.05

$8.81 ฿297

20.09%

Cappuccino

$3.42 A$4.87

$2.83 ฿95.5

20.85%

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

$2.72 A$3.87

$0.87 ฿29.43

212.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 A$3.17

$0.49 ฿16.67

355.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 A$9.93

$2.56 ฿86.4

173.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 A$10.01

$3.68 ฿124

91.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 A$1.70

$1.66 ฿56.0

-27.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.13

$1.46 ฿49.35

98.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 A$3.11

$1.50 ฿50.6

46.00%

Eggs

$4.04 A$5.74

$2.09 ฿70.5

93.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 A$14.74

$19.07 ฿644

-45.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 A$13.61

$3.30 ฿111

190.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.41 A$23.33

$10.91 ฿368

50.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 A$4.18

$2.93 ฿99.0

0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.67

$1.69 ฿57.1

52.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 A$3.95

$2.25 ฿75.8

23.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 A$6.40

$2.08 ฿70.1

116.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 A$3.40

$1.51 ฿51.0

58.28%

Onion (1kg)

$2.49 A$3.54

$1.38 ฿46.56

80.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 A$3.94

$1.07 ฿35.99

158.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 A$2.44

$0.52 ฿17.52

230.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.91 A$59.6

$4.20 ฿142

897.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.03 A$19.95

$18.79 ฿634

-25.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.43 A$6.30

$1.82 ฿61.5

143.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.68 A$6.65

$2.84 ฿95.9

64.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 A$3.90

$1.45 ฿49.03

88.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.9 A$134

$56.7 ฿1,913

65.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 A$5.42

$3.02 ฿102

26.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.05

$1.02 ฿34.36

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.81 A$59.5

$3.69 ฿125

1033.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.47 ฿49.81

-8.84%

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

$29.5K A$42.0K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

10.32%

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

$24.5K A$34.8K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-8.38%

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

$138 A$197

$96.4 ฿3,254

43.63%

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

$31.16 A$44.31

$11.26 ฿380

176.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.96 A$71.0

$16.85 ฿569

196.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 A$79.2

$67.2 ฿2,270

-17.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.21 A$21.63

$10.73 ฿362

41.75%

Cinema Ticket

$13.12 A$18.66

$7.50 ฿253

74.93%

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

$2,205 A$3,135

$476 ฿16.1K

363.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$32.8K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

104.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 A$101

$62.4 ฿2,106

13.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.9 A$89.5

$28.41 ฿959

121.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 A$207

$94.3 ฿3,184

54.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 A$153

$85.8 ฿2,898

25.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 A$1,708

$716 ฿24.2K

67.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 A$1,509

$491 ฿16.6K

116.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,222 A$3,159

$1,927 ฿65.1K

15.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 A$2,912

$1,431 ฿48.3K

43.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,189 A$8,800

$4,175 ฿141.0K

48.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,686 A$6,663

$3,045 ฿102.8K

53.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,419 A$9,127

$502 ฿17.0K

1177.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

5.57

-6.10%

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

Last update for Muswellbrook: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Muswellbrook

$1.1K 46.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 53.8% $571

Groceries & Markets

Muswellbrook

$361 15.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 26.3% $95

Eating Out

Muswellbrook

$279 12.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.4% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Muswellbrook

$220 9.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 43.3% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Muswellbrook

$174 7.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.1% $52

Getting Around

Muswellbrook

$116 5.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 39.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Muswellbrook

$82 3.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 0.4% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,201 in Muswellbrook versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Muswellbrook are about 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Muswellbrook versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Muswellbrook

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

19:58 7:58 PM

4 h behind Muswellbrook

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 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 = 0.703 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Muswellbrook Phuket 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Muswellbrook
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

Muswellbrook vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,294 in Muswellbrook, $1,278 in Phuket – roughly 79% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,440 per month in Muswellbrook and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,201 in Muswellbrook.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,294 in Muswellbrook and $1,278 in Phuket. That’s a gap of about 79%.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Muswellbrook at $2,294. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Muswellbrook it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Muswellbrook makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.