Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balga and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,762 in Balga, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Balga
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Balga Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,762

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,762 in Balga versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Balga $2,762
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,828 in Balga versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Balga $3,828
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,893 in Balga versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Balga $4,893
Phuket $3,154

Living in Balga is roughly 116% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Balga is 103% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.97 A$29.71

$4.47 ฿151

369.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 A$118

$32.41 ฿1,092

156.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 A$15.77

$8.81 ฿297

26.33%

Cappuccino

$4.62 A$6.54

$2.83 ฿95.3

63.25%

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

$2.80 A$3.96

$0.87 ฿29.37

221.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 A$3.26

$0.49 ฿16.64

369.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.39 A$11.89

$2.56 ฿86.2

227.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.69

$3.68 ฿124

124.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.46

$1.66 ฿55.9

4.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.14 A$4.45

$1.46 ฿49.25

115.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.79

$1.50 ฿50.4

31.33%

Eggs

$5.09 A$7.22

$2.09 ฿70.4

143.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.13

$19.07 ฿642

-51.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.46 A$13.40

$3.30 ฿111

186.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 A$19.46

$10.91 ฿368

25.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 A$6.46

$2.93 ฿98.7

55.63%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.55

$1.69 ฿56.9

89.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.05

$2.25 ฿75.7

58.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.85 A$6.87

$2.08 ฿70.0

133.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.03

$1.51 ฿50.9

88.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 A$2.73

$1.38 ฿46.47

39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 A$3.21

$1.07 ฿35.91

111.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.90

$0.52 ฿17.49

157.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.17 A$59.7

$4.20 ฿142

904.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 A$17.65

$18.79 ฿633

-33.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.35 A$6.16

$1.82 ฿61.4

139.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 A$4.98

$2.84 ฿95.7

23.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 A$3.78

$1.45 ฿48.93

84.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$56.7 ฿1,909

38.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 A$5.12

$3.02 ฿102

19.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.02 ฿34.29

36.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.13 A$58.3

$3.69 ฿124

1014.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.47 ฿49.70

-8.16%

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

$29.9K A$42.4K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

11.71%

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

$27.8K A$39.5K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

4.34%

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

$207 A$293

$96.4 ฿3,247

114.35%

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

$33.27 A$47.13

$11.26 ฿380

195.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.5 A$90.0

$16.85 ฿568

276.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.6 A$88.7

$67.2 ฿2,266

-6.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.26 A$27.29

$10.73 ฿361

79.50%

Cinema Ticket

$17.26 A$24.45

$7.50 ฿253

130.13%

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

$2,271 A$3,217

$476 ฿16.0K

377.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K A$33.6K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

110.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.3 A$111

$62.4 ฿2,102

25.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.5 A$89.9

$28.41 ฿957

123.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$175

$94.3 ฿3,178

30.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 A$233

$85.8 ฿2,892

91.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,467 A$2,078

$716 ฿24.1K

104.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 A$1,938

$491 ฿16.5K

178.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 A$2,833

$1,927 ฿64.9K

3.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,781 A$2,523

$1,431 ฿48.2K

24.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,422 A$9,097

$4,175 ฿140.7K

53.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,389 A$6,217

$3,045 ฿102.6K

44.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 A$4,757

$502 ฿16.9K

568.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.57

7.00%

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

Last update for Balga: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balga

$1.4K 49.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 64.1% $877

Groceries & Markets

Balga

$365 13.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 27.1% $99

Eating Out

Balga

$335 12.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 63.7% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balga

$303 11%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 59% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Balga

$193 7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 37% $71

Getting Around

Balga

$100 3.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 29.3% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Balga

$97 3.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 15.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,467 in Balga and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balga pays about 6.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Balga vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $365 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Balga

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:41 8:41 PM

19:41 7:41 PM

1 h behind Balga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,685

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.633 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balga Phuket 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Balga
Phuket

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

Balga vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,762 in Balga and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Balga is about 6.7 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,467 in Balga versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $83 in Balga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,762 per month in Balga versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,762 in Balga, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Balga. 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, Balga 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 54% less than in Balga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.