Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Thailand

Name: Thailand
Address: TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Thailand: $983 a month against $2,589 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Thailand
Learn more

Thailand Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,589

/mo nomad

🇹🇭 Thailand

$983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Thailand

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in Thailand actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,589 per month in Australia vs $983 in Thailand, rent included.

Australia $2,589
Thailand $983

A couple spends around $3,789 per month in Australia vs $1,628 in Thailand, rent included.

Australia $3,789
Thailand $1,628

A family of three spends $4,990 per month in Australia vs $2,273 in Thailand, rent included.

Australia $4,990
Thailand $2,273

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,299) than in Thailand ($610–$2,253), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 163% higher than in Thailand on average.

Australia sits 91% above the global median, while Thailand is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.24 A$24.87

$3.06 ฿102

463.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$123

$26.16 ฿875

225.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 A$16.13

$6.48 ฿217

72.53%

Cappuccino

$4.01 A$5.78

$2.01 ฿67.3

99.50%

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

$2.90 A$4.18

$0.70 ฿23.45

314.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.32

$0.35 ฿11.78

557.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 A$11.17

$2.16 ฿72.3

258.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.16 A$11.78

$3.67 ฿123

122.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 A$2.49

$1.76 ฿59.0

-1.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.88

$1.34 ฿44.75

100.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 A$3.22

$1.25 ฿41.78

79.20%

Eggs

$4.95 A$7.13

$2.14 ฿71.7

131.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 A$13.59

$16.67 ฿558

-43.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 A$13.56

$3.04 ฿102

209.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 A$22.07

$10.71 ฿358

42.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.27

$2.85 ฿95.2

28.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.44

$1.24 ฿41.34

148.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.72

$2.10 ฿70.3

55.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.62

$1.80 ฿60.1

155.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.83 A$4.08

$1.48 ฿49.63

91.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 A$3.27

$1.32 ฿44.11

71.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.37 A$3.43

$1.13 ฿37.82

109.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$0.49 ฿16.29

238.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.43 A$55.4

$4.23 ฿141

808.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.21 A$20.50

$17.13 ฿573

-17.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.95 A$7.15

$1.75 ฿58.6

182.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.13 A$7.40

$2.68 ฿89.8

91.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 A$3.56

$0.92 ฿30.62

167.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.0 A$134

$35.30 ฿1,180

163.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 A$5.28

$1.22 ฿40.91

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 A$2.62

$1.13 ฿37.83

61.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.83 A$63.2

$5.90 ฿197

642.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.94

$1.35 ฿45.09

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

$29.8K A$43.0K

$31.4K ฿1.0M

-4.83%

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

$26.1K A$37.6K

$26.6K ฿888.3K

-1.76%

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

$208 A$300

$81.3 ฿2,719

155.94%

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

$29.05 A$41.90

$12.11 ฿405

139.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.7 A$84.7

$18.57 ฿621

215.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 A$81.4

$49.92 ฿1,669

12.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.40 A$27.99

$11.48 ฿384

68.99%

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 A$21.79

$6.33 ฿212

138.70%

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

$2,113 A$3,048

$559 ฿18.7K

278.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.1K A$33.3K

$20.8K ฿694.7K

11.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$115

$51.3 ฿1,714

56.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.2 A$78.2

$31.71 ฿1,060

70.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$87.2 ฿2,917

27.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$180

$79.2 ฿2,647

57.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 A$2,337

$495 ฿16.6K

227.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,256 A$1,812

$313 ฿10.5K

301.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,616 A$3,774

$1,381 ฿46.2K

89.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,007 A$2,895

$807 ฿27.0K

148.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,539 A$12.3K

$3,584 ฿119.8K

138.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,404 A$9,237

$2,100 ฿70.2K

204.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,931 A$5,670

$566 ฿18.9K

594.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.67

5.11%

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

Last update for Australia: November 3, 2026

Last update for Thailand: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.3K 48.5%

Thailand

$313 31.9% 75.1% $943

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$373 14.4%

Thailand

$247 25.1% 33.8% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$296 11.4%

Thailand

$112 11.4% 62.1% $184

Eating Out

Australia

$295 11.4%

Thailand

$90 9.2% 69.4% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$167 6.4%

Thailand

$112 11.4% 32.7% $54

Getting Around

Australia

$116 4.5%

Thailand

$46 4.7% 60.3% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$87 3.4%

Thailand

$63 6.4% 27.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,381 in Australia vs $475 in Thailand. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,761 in Canberra and $710 in Bangkok.

Average salary: $3,863 in Australia vs $609 in Thailand. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 191% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 219% more in Australia.

Public transport is 93% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 6.3 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇹🇭 Thailand

🕒 Local time

19:03 7:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

4 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

66,188,503

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.617 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.617 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Australia Thailand 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Thailand

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

Australia vs Thailand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thailand is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 62% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,381 versus $475 in Thailand.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Thailand – part of why living there is about 62% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Thailand, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Thailand is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.