Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballarat and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,926 in Ballarat versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,081 in Ballarat versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,235 in Ballarat versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Ballarat is roughly 54% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ballarat is 40% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 A$24.74

$4.56 ฿152

287.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.7 A$102

$32.62 ฿1,086

122.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 A$15.01

$8.90 ฿296

20.56%

Cappuccino

$3.83 A$5.36

$2.80 ฿93.4

36.79%

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

$3.10 A$4.33

$0.88 ฿29.31

252.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 A$2.81

$0.49 ฿16.29

310.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.24 A$8.73

$2.39 ฿79.5

161.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 A$9.16

$3.71 ฿124

76.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 A$2.39

$1.79 ฿59.5

-4.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.86 A$4.00

$1.44 ฿48.00

98.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.37

$1.58 ฿52.8

52.53%

Eggs

$4.36 A$6.10

$2.13 ฿70.8

104.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 A$16.19

$19.92 ฿663

-41.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 A$13.27

$3.43 ฿114

176.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 A$22.08

$11.33 ฿377

39.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 A$5.15

$2.95 ฿98.2

24.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.42

$1.72 ฿57.3

83.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.19 A$4.46

$2.32 ฿77.4

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 A$6.74

$2.08 ฿69.3

131.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.62

$1.47 ฿48.96

124.49%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.68

$1.36 ฿45.22

93.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.37

$1.10 ฿36.59

119.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 A$2.13

$0.57 ฿19.13

166.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$35.19 A$49.22

$4.27 ฿142

724.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.09 A$16.91

$18.42 ฿613

-34.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.35 A$3.29

$1.87 ฿62.3

25.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 A$4.49

$2.92 ฿97.3

9.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 A$3.86

$2.22 ฿73.9

24.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.0 A$102

$22.90 ฿762

218.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 A$3.71

$3.03 ฿101

-12.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 A$1.96

$1.07 ฿35.77

30.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.81 A$38.90

$3.93 ฿131

607.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 A$1.74

$1.49 ฿49.68

-16.78%

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

$29.1K A$40.7K

$27.1K ฿903.4K

7.26%

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

$25.8K A$36.1K

$27.5K ฿914.1K

-5.90%

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

$216 A$302

$103 ฿3,423

109.99%

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

$27.96 A$39.11

$10.99 ฿366

154.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.7 A$80.8

$17.51 ฿583

229.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.61 A$45.62

$53.5 ฿1,783

-39.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.33 A$15.85

$11.20 ฿373

1.16%

Cinema Ticket

$15.86 A$22.19

$7.48 ฿249

112.03%

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

$2,207 A$3,087

$557 ฿18.5K

296.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.2K A$46.4K

$11.9K ฿394.7K

179.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 A$101

$64.1 ฿2,134

12.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 A$72.9

$29.07 ฿968

79.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$145

$96.0 ฿3,195

8.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$193

$90.3 ฿3,008

52.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 A$1,309

$730 ฿24.3K

28.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 A$963

$500 ฿16.6K

37.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 A$1,803

$2,090 ฿69.6K

-38.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,527 A$2,135

$1,209 ฿40.3K

26.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,901 A$6,855

$3,596 ฿119.7K

36.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,601 A$5,037

$2,512 ฿83.7K

43.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,339 A$4,671

$503 ฿16.8K

563.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.55

5.57

-0.36%

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

Last update for Ballarat: August 30, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $936 in Ballarat and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 563% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $73.0 in Ballarat vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $362 vs $273 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

Ballarat vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Ballarat. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 563% higher in Ballarat, 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: $936 in Ballarat versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,207 in Ballarat versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Ballarat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $1,926 in Ballarat, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ballarat. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,253 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ballarat 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 54% less than in Ballarat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.