Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cranbourne

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,367 in Cranbourne, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Cranbourne
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Cranbourne Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cranbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,367

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cranbourne

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Cranbourne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,367 in Cranbourne.

Phuket $1,278
Cranbourne $2,367

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,551 in Cranbourne.

Phuket $2,216
Cranbourne $3,551

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,736 in Cranbourne.

Phuket $3,154
Cranbourne $4,736

Living in Phuket costs roughly 46% less than in Cranbourne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Cranbourne is 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.67 A$12.33

-48.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$82.9 A$118

-60.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.43 A$17.68

-29.12%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.64 A$3.76

7.20%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.84 A$4.04

-69.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.60 A$2.28

-69.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$7.17 A$10.20

-64.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.33 A$10.42

-49.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.74 A$3.89

-39.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$3.27 A$4.65

-55.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.89 A$5.53

-61.44%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.93 A$7.01

-57.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.31 A$14.67

84.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.76 A$15.31

-69.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.29 A$17.49

-11.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.29 A$4.67

-10.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.31 A$4.71

-48.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.02 A$5.71

-44.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.59 A$5.11

-42.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.37 A$4.79

-55.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.29 A$3.25

-39.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.54 A$2.19

-30.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.59 A$2.27

-67.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$50.6 A$71.9

-91.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$22.63 A$32.19

-16.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$8.81 A$12.54

-79.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$5.15 A$7.32

-44.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.36 A$1.93

6.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$83.3 A$119

-32.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$6.56 A$9.34

-53.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.46 A$2.08

-30.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$24.56 A$34.93

-84.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.28 A$1.82

14.84%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$29.8K A$42.4K

-10.16%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$26.8K A$38.1K

-0.49%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$268 A$381

-63.99%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$27.95 A$39.76

-59.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.09 A$32.84

-27.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$38.77 A$55.1

73.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$18.10 A$25.74

-40.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.17 A$13.04

-18.21%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,940 A$2,759

-75.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$21.4K A$30.5K

-47.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$76.1 A$108

-18.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$27.75 A$39.46

2.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$107 A$152

-11.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$124 A$177

-31.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,287 A$1,831

-44.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,104 A$1,570

-55.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,158 A$3,069

-10.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,972 A$2,805

-27.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$5,985 A$8,513

-30.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$4,241 A$6,032

-28.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,737 A$2,470

-71.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.9

-5.59%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cranbourne: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cranbourne

$1.1K 46.7% 125% $613

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cranbourne

$427 18% 60.3% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cranbourne

$319 13.5% 156% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cranbourne

$151 6.4% 23.7% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cranbourne

$207 8.7% 69.8% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cranbourne

$57 2.4% 30.5% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cranbourne

$103 4.3% 45.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,287 in Cranbourne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cranbourne pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $83 in Cranbourne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $427 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Cranbourne

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

21,281

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cranbourne 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cranbourne

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

Phuket vs Cranbourne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,367 in Cranbourne, so Phuket is about 46% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 71% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,287 in Cranbourne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,940 in Cranbourne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 60% higher in Cranbourne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,367 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.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Cranbourne are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Cranbourne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.