Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Penrith

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.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Penrith
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Penrith Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Penrith

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,604

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Penrith

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

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

Phuket $1,207
Penrith $2,604

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

Phuket $2,037
Penrith $3,652

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

Phuket $2,867
Penrith $4,701

Phuket is about 54% cheaper than Penrith, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$21.03 A$30.26

-78.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$89.7 A$129

-63.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$10.56 A$15.19

-19.03%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.04 A$2.93

33.33%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$3.16 A$4.54

-70.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$2.56 A$3.69

-80.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$8.57 A$12.33

-69.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.96 A$7.14

-22.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.57 A$2.26

10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$3.32 A$4.78

-56.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.54 A$3.65

-39.76%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$5.16 A$7.42

-57.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$13.08 A$18.82

46.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$9.74 A$14.02

-66.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$15.40 A$22.16

-27.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.93 A$5.65

-24.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$3.08 A$4.43

-45.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.50 A$5.04

-34.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$5.31 A$7.65

-59.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$3.17 A$4.56

-51.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.80 A$4.02

-51.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.48 A$3.57

-54.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.34 A$1.93

-58.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$45.42 A$65.4

-90.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$14.07 A$20.24

29.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$4.62 A$6.65

-62.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$5.64 A$8.11

-50.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$3.17 A$4.57

-29.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$78.5 A$113

-71.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$4.11 A$5.92

-29.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.57 A$2.26

-35.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$42.63 A$61.3

-91.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.18 A$1.70

26.27%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$27.1K A$39.0K

-1.53%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$30.0K A$43.2K

-11.01%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$183 A$263

-45.61%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$26.16 A$37.65

-56.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$55.4 A$79.7

-68.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$51.0 A$73.4

2.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$17.66 A$25.42

-38.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$15.88 A$22.86

-52.33%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$2,390 A$3,439

-76.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$19.9K A$28.7K

-42.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$75.3 A$108

-16.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$56.1 A$80.8

-49.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$108 A$155

-10.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$134 A$193

-34.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,371 A$1,973

-46.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$1,289 A$1,855

-64.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$2,142 A$3,082

-2.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,686 A$2,427

-27.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$4,992 A$7,184

-30.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$4,361 A$6,275

-42.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.95

-6.39%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Penrith: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Penrith

$1.3K 49.5% 180% $829

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Penrith

$396 15.2% 48% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Penrith

$264 10.2% 106% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Penrith

$168 6.5% 35.5% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Penrith

$300 11.5% 147% $179

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Penrith

$83 3.2% 22.8% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Penrith

$103 4% 165% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $1,371 in Penrith. 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $90.0 in Penrith. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $396 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Penrith

🕒 Local time

09:50 9:50 AM

13:50 1:50 PM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

13,343

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Penrith 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Penrith

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 Penrith: 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 $1,811 per month in Phuket and $3,905 in Penrith. 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 $558 per month in Phuket and $2,390 in Penrith. 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.