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

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Phuket is 24.7% cheaper than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 38.5% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Phuket is 33.2% cheaper than Lake Macquarie without rent, and 27.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.68 ΰΈΏ151
$12.91 A$19.78
-63.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.4 ΰΈΏ1,502
$77.1 A$118
-39.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.65 ΰΈΏ280
$9.66 A$14.79
-10.46%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ΰΈΏ100
$3.34 A$5.12
-7.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ΰΈΏ23.53
$2.38 A$3.65
-69.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ΰΈΏ11.95
$2 A$3.07
-81.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 ΰΈΏ77.4
$6.35 A$9.72
-62.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 ΰΈΏ117
$6.96 A$10.66
-47.99%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 ΰΈΏ72.5
$1.37 A$2.1
63.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.8 ΰΈΏ58.2
$1.44 A$2.2
25.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 ΰΈΏ72.3
$1.19 A$1.82
88.24%
Eggs
$2.23 ΰΈΏ72.1
$3.14 A$4.81
-28.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.31 ΰΈΏ625
$7.51 A$11.5
157.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.77 ΰΈΏ122
$6.07 A$9.3
-37.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.05 ΰΈΏ422
$11.78 A$18.05
10.78%
Apples (1kg)
$3.28 ΰΈΏ106
$3.11 A$4.76
5.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 ΰΈΏ52.6
$2.7 A$4.13
-39.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.4 ΰΈΏ77.7
$3.16 A$4.84
-24.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ΰΈΏ64.3
$4.33 A$6.64
-54.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ΰΈΏ49.62
$1.95 A$2.98
-21.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 ΰΈΏ48.11
$1.74 A$2.66
-14.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ΰΈΏ32.87
$1.35 A$2.07
-24.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ΰΈΏ15.61
$1.13 A$1.73
-57.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 ΰΈΏ140
$27.52 A$42.16
-84.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.68 ΰΈΏ702
$7.24 A$11.09
199.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ΰΈΏ57.3
$2.62 A$4.02
-32.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ΰΈΏ90.4
$2.15 A$3.3
29.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Lake Macquarie
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 ΰΈΏ43.74
$2.07 A$3.17
-34.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ΰΈΏ380
$88.9 A$136
-86.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 ΰΈΏ102
$1.87 A$2.86
68.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1 ΰΈΏ32.3
$1.55 A$2.37
-35.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.64 ΰΈΏ442
$46.5 A$71.2
-70.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 ΰΈΏ42.2
$1.19 A$1.82
9.24%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ΰΈΏ885.2K
$24.9K A$38.2K
9.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K ΰΈΏ1.1M
$20.2K A$30.9K
68.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 ΰΈΏ3,970
$204 A$313
-39.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ΰΈΏ451
$10.26 A$15.72
35.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.24 ΰΈΏ590
$42.08 A$64.5
-56.65%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.8 ΰΈΏ1,966
$49.44 A$75.7
22.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.11 ΰΈΏ554
$15.88 A$24.33
7.75%
Cinema Ticket
$9.07 ΰΈΏ294
$9.2 A$14.1
-1.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$694 ΰΈΏ22.5K
$1,446 A$2,215
-51.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ΰΈΏ514.4K
$9,951 A$15.2K
59.74%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 ΰΈΏ1,861
$73.4 A$112
-21.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.51 ΰΈΏ1,117
$33.88 A$51.9
1.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 ΰΈΏ3,727
$76.6 A$117
50.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ΰΈΏ2,743
$132 A$202
-35.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Lake Macquarie
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ΰΈΏ19.8K
$1,240 A$1,900
-50.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$442 ΰΈΏ14.3K
$976 A$1,495
-54.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 ΰΈΏ65.2K
$2,007 A$3,074
0.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,460 ΰΈΏ47.2K
$2,055 A$3,148
-28.98%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,244 ΰΈΏ137.3K
$5,582 A$8,552
-23.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,886 ΰΈΏ93.4K
$4,951 A$7,584
-41.70%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Lake Macquarie
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$697 ΰΈΏ22.5K
$4,783 A$7,327
-85.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
4.35
22.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

Last update for Lake Macquarie: October 29, 2025

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