Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penrith and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,604 in Penrith, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Penrith
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Penrith Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Penrith

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,604

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,604 per month in Penrith vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Penrith $2,604
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $3,652 per month in Penrith vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Penrith $3,652
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $4,701 per month in Penrith vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Penrith $4,701
Phuket $2,867

Penrith costs about 116% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Penrith sits 93% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.03 A$30.26

$4.58 ฿153

359.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 A$129

$32.48 ฿1,086

176.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 A$15.19

$8.55 ฿286

23.51%

Cappuccino

$2.04 A$2.93

$2.72 ฿91.0

-25.00%

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

$3.16 A$4.54

$0.94 ฿31.25

236.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 A$3.69

$0.49 ฿16.39

422.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.59 ฿86.6

230.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.14

$3.83 ฿128

29.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.26

$1.74 ฿58.1

-9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 A$4.78

$1.43 ฿47.82

132.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.65

$1.53 ฿51.0

66.01%

Eggs

$5.16 A$7.42

$2.17 ฿72.7

137.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 A$18.82

$19.15 ฿640

-31.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 A$14.02

$3.30 ฿110

195.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 A$22.16

$11.14 ฿372

38.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 A$5.65

$2.95 ฿98.5

33.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.43

$1.68 ฿56.1

83.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.04

$2.30 ฿76.8

52.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.31 A$7.65

$2.13 ฿71.3

149.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.56

$1.53 ฿51.1

107.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 A$4.02

$1.36 ฿45.55

105.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.57

$1.12 ฿37.44

121.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.93

$0.55 ฿18.24

143.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.42 A$65.4

$4.26 ฿142

966.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 A$20.24

$18.19 ฿608

-22.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.62 A$6.65

$1.74 ฿58.2

165.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 A$8.11

$2.79 ฿93.3

102.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.17 A$4.57

$2.22 ฿74.1

42.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$113

$22.06 ฿737

255.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 A$5.92

$2.91 ฿97.3

41.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 A$2.26

$1.01 ฿33.79

55.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.63 A$61.3

$3.83 ฿128

1013.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$1.49 ฿49.85

-20.81%

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

$27.1K A$39.0K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

1.55%

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

$30.0K A$43.2K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

12.37%

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

$183 A$263

$99.4 ฿3,321

83.87%

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

$26.16 A$37.65

$11.28 ฿377

131.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 A$79.7

$17.36 ฿580

219.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 A$73.4

$52.3 ฿1,747

-2.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.66 A$25.42

$10.85 ฿362

62.76%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 A$22.86

$7.57 ฿253

109.78%

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

$2,390 A$3,439

$558 ฿18.7K

328.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K A$28.7K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

73.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.3 A$108

$62.9 ฿2,102

19.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 A$80.8

$28.58 ฿955

96.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$155

$96.1 ฿3,213

12.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$88.1 ฿2,943

52.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 A$1,973

$729 ฿24.4K

88.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 A$1,855

$460 ฿15.4K

180.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 A$3,082

$2,096 ฿70.0K

2.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,686 A$2,427

$1,222 ฿40.8K

37.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,992 A$7,184

$3,459 ฿115.6K

44.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,361 A$6,275

$2,489 ฿83.2K

75.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Penrith: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Penrith

$1.3K 49.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 64.3% $829

Groceries & Markets

Penrith

$396 15.2%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 32.4% $129

Eating Out

Penrith

$300 11.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 59.6% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penrith

$264 10.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 51.6% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Penrith

$168 6.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 26.2% $44

Getting Around

Penrith

$103 4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 62.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Penrith

$83 3.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 18.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,371 in Penrith versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Penrith versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Penrith

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:17 9:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

4 h behind Penrith

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,343

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Penrith Phuket 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Penrith
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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

Penrith vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Penrith costs about 116% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,905 per month in Penrith and $1,811 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 256% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,390 per month in Penrith and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Penrith at $2,604. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Penrith it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $2,604 in Penrith. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Penrith makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.