Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarneit and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,519 in Tarneit, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Tarneit
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Tarneit Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tarneit

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,519

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,519 in Tarneit versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Tarneit $2,519
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,640 in Tarneit versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Tarneit $3,640
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,760 in Tarneit versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Tarneit $4,760
Phuket $3,154

Living in Tarneit is roughly 97% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tarneit is 85% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$24.94

$4.47 ฿151

293.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$120

$32.41 ฿1,092

161.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.24

$8.81 ฿297

38.14%

Cappuccino

$4.02 A$5.69

$2.83 ฿95.3

42.05%

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

$3.06 A$4.34

$0.87 ฿29.37

251.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.51

$0.49 ฿16.64

406.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 A$13.62

$2.56 ฿86.2

275.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 A$11.97

$3.68 ฿124

129.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 A$1.23

$1.66 ฿55.9

-47.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 A$1.76

$1.46 ฿49.25

-15.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.50 ฿50.4

-8.67%

Eggs

$5.16 A$7.31

$2.09 ฿70.4

146.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 A$14.74

$19.07 ฿642

-45.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 A$14.01

$3.30 ฿111

199.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 A$21.23

$10.91 ฿368

37.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$5.91

$2.93 ฿98.7

42.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.43

$1.69 ฿56.9

85.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.41

$2.25 ฿75.7

38.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 A$6.89

$2.08 ฿70.0

133.65%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.36

$1.51 ฿50.9

103.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.50

$1.38 ฿46.47

78.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.49

$1.07 ฿35.91

129.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 A$2.23

$0.52 ฿17.49

201.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.03 A$63.8

$4.20 ฿142

972.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.54 A$17.76

$18.79 ฿633

-33.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.71 A$8.08

$1.82 ฿61.4

213.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 A$7.50

$2.84 ฿95.7

86.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 A$3.94

$1.45 ฿48.93

91.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.4 A$134

$56.7 ฿1,909

66.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 A$6.27

$3.02 ฿102

46.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.02 ฿34.29

34.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.03 A$42.53

$3.69 ฿124

713.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 A$2.01

$1.47 ฿49.70

-3.40%

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

$29.9K A$42.4K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

11.65%

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

$26.4K A$37.4K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-1.15%

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

$178 A$252

$96.4 ฿3,247

84.37%

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

$28.26 A$40.03

$11.26 ฿380

150.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.9 A$80.6

$16.85 ฿568

237.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 A$80.4

$67.2 ฿2,266

-15.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 A$22.82

$10.73 ฿361

50.14%

Cinema Ticket

$17.30 A$24.50

$7.50 ฿253

130.67%

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

$2,489 A$3,525

$476 ฿16.0K

422.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.0K A$42.5K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

166.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$114

$62.4 ฿2,102

28.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 A$71.7

$28.41 ฿957

78.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$94.3 ฿3,178

27.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$85.8 ฿2,892

53.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 A$1,955

$716 ฿24.1K

92.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 A$1,710

$491 ฿16.5K

145.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 A$3,325

$1,927 ฿64.9K

21.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,797 A$2,545

$1,431 ฿48.2K

25.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,047 A$8,567

$4,175 ฿140.7K

44.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,601 A$6,518

$3,045 ฿102.6K

51.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Tarneit: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tarneit

$1.2K 47.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 59.3% $716

Groceries & Markets

Tarneit

$356 14.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 25.3% $90

Eating Out

Tarneit

$313 12.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 61.1% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarneit

$263 10.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 52.6% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Tarneit

$172 6.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 29.1% $50

Getting Around

Tarneit

$117 4.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 39.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Tarneit

$91 3.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 10% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,380 in Tarneit and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Tarneit vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $356 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Tarneit

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:58 5:58 PM

13:58 1:58 PM

4 h behind Tarneit

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,562

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Tarneit Phuket 6,990 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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

Tarneit vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $3,779 in Tarneit and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,380 in Tarneit versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,489 in Tarneit versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Tarneit. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,519 in Tarneit, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tarneit. 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, Tarneit and Phuket 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 49% less than in Tarneit. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.