Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Muswellbrook

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.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
118

Cost of Living Index in Muswellbrook
Learn more

Muswellbrook Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Muswellbrook

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Muswellbrook

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 Muswellbrook actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Phuket $1,278
Muswellbrook $2,294

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

Phuket $2,216
Muswellbrook $3,598

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

Phuket $3,154
Muswellbrook $4,902

Phuket is about 44% cheaper than Muswellbrook, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.21 A$24.47

-74.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$85.1 A$121

-61.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.58 A$15.05

-16.73%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.42 A$4.87

-17.25%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.72 A$3.87

-68.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.23 A$3.17

-78.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.99 A$9.93

-63.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$7.04 A$10.01

-47.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.20 A$1.70

38.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.90 A$4.13

-49.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.19 A$3.11

-31.51%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.04 A$5.74

-48.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.36 A$14.74

84.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.57 A$13.61

-65.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.41 A$23.33

-33.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.94 A$4.18

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.58 A$3.67

-34.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.78 A$3.95

-19.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.50 A$6.40

-53.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.39 A$3.40

-36.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.49 A$3.54

-44.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.77 A$3.94

-61.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.72 A$2.44

-69.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$41.91 A$59.6

-89.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.03 A$19.95

33.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$4.43 A$6.30

-58.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.68 A$6.65

-39.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.74 A$3.90

-47.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$93.9 A$134

-39.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.81 A$5.42

-20.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.44 A$2.05

-29.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$41.81 A$59.5

-91.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.34 A$1.90

9.70%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$29.5K A$42.0K

-9.35%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$24.5K A$34.8K

9.14%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$138 A$197

-30.38%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$31.16 A$44.31

-63.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$49.96 A$71.0

-66.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$55.7 A$79.2

20.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$15.21 A$21.63

-29.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.12 A$18.66

-42.84%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$2,205 A$3,135

-78.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$23.1K A$32.8K

-51.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$71.1 A$101

-12.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$62.9 A$89.5

-54.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$145 A$207

-35.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$108 A$153

-20.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,201 A$1,708

-40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,061 A$1,509

-53.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,222 A$3,159

-13.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,048 A$2,912

-30.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$6,189 A$8,800

-32.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$4,686 A$6,663

-35.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$6,419 A$9,127

-92.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.23

6.50%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Muswellbrook: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Muswellbrook

$1.1K 46.3% 116% $571

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Muswellbrook

$361 15.8% 35.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Muswellbrook

$220 9.6% 76.4% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Muswellbrook

$174 7.6% 43% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Muswellbrook

$279 12.2% 130% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Muswellbrook

$82 3.6% 0.4% $0.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Muswellbrook

$116 5.1% 64.2% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,201 in Muswellbrook. 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 $32 in Phuket versus $85 in Muswellbrook. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $361 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Muswellbrook

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

23:58 11:58 PM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

16,000

💱 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 = 0.632 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Muswellbrook 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Muswellbrook

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 Muswellbrook: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,440 in Muswellbrook. 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 $1,278 in Phuket and $2,294 in Muswellbrook. 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.