Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarneit and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarneit and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,632 in Tarneit versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,734 in Tarneit versus $2,089 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,836 in Tarneit versus $2,913 in Phuket.

Living in Tarneit is roughly 108% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tarneit is 91% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.63 A$24.65

$4.66 ฿154

278.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.7 A$121

$32.22 ฿1,066

168.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 A$15.14

$8.68 ฿287

24.77%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.59

$2.90 ฿95.9

37.93%

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

$2.88 A$4.02

$0.84 ฿27.91

242.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 A$3.16

$0.49 ฿16.17

361.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.67 A$10.73

$2.48 ฿82.1

209.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.42 A$10.38

$3.73 ฿123

98.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 A$2.31

$1.89 ฿62.3

-12.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 A$3.79

$1.41 ฿46.58

92.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.24

$1.62 ฿53.6

43.21%

Eggs

$5.10 A$7.13

$2.24 ฿74.1

127.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 A$13.42

$19.84 ฿656

-51.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.36 A$13.09

$3.48 ฿115

168.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.93 A$20.87

$11.37 ฿376

31.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 A$5.04

$2.90 ฿95.9

24.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.31

$1.72 ฿57.0

79.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 A$4.78

$2.27 ฿75.2

50.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.88 A$6.82

$2.13 ฿70.5

129.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 A$3.84

$1.47 ฿48.77

87.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.45

$1.42 ฿46.96

73.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 A$3.40

$1.10 ฿36.29

121.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 A$2.36

$0.60 ฿19.78

181.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$39.41 A$55.1

$4.31 ฿142

814.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 A$20.23

$18.60 ฿615

-22.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.05 A$7.06

$1.80 ฿59.6

180.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 A$7.62

$2.97 ฿98.1

83.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.41

$2.25 ฿74.3

40.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.5 A$120

$23.49 ฿777

263.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.50 A$4.89

$3.10 ฿103

12.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 A$2.33

$1.08 ฿35.59

54.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.12 A$57.5

$3.87 ฿128

962.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.77

$1.43 ฿47.20

-11.19%

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

$27.7K A$38.8K

$27.8K ฿918.9K

-0.20%

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

$30.8K A$43.1K

$27.0K ฿892.4K

14.27%

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

$218 A$304

$105 ฿3,466

107.77%

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

$27.68 A$38.70

$11.39 ฿377

143.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.3 A$81.5

$17.54 ฿580

232.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 A$81.5

$54.3 ฿1,797

7.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.13 A$25.34

$11.44 ฿378

58.48%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 A$22.20

$7.78 ฿257

104.11%

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

$2,231 A$3,118

$576 ฿19.1K

286.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K A$29.0K

$11.6K ฿383.0K

79.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 A$113

$63.6 ฿2,104

26.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 A$77.2

$29.10 ฿962

89.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$157

$96.2 ฿3,182

16.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$175

$90.0 ฿2,977

38.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,454 A$2,032

$733 ฿24.2K

98.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,308 A$1,829

$501 ฿16.6K

161.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,266 A$3,167

$2,126 ฿70.3K

6.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 A$2,656

$1,252 ฿41.4K

51.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,564 A$9,175

$3,534 ฿116.9K

85.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,125 A$7,163

$2,622 ฿86.7K

95.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.85

5.57

5.03%

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

Last update for Tarneit: September 8, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,454 in Tarneit and $733 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $87.0 in Tarneit vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $377 vs $275 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Sport & Entertainment. The 108% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,948 in Tarneit and $1,898 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: $1,454 in Tarneit versus $733 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,231 in Tarneit versus $576 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Tarneit. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,632 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.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tarneit, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tarneit and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 108% less than in Tarneit. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.