Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballina, Australia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,525 in Ballina, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Ballina
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Ballina Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ballina

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,525

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,525 per month in Ballina vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Ballina $2,525
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $3,645 per month in Ballina vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Ballina $3,645
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $4,766 per month in Ballina vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Ballina $4,766
Phuket $3,115

Ballina costs about 95% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ballina sits 87% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.32 A$24.72

$4.39 ฿147

294.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.4 A$119

$32.31 ฿1,085

158.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 A$15.04

$8.70 ฿292

21.15%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.79

$2.72 ฿91.5

48.90%

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

$2.87 A$4.10

$0.93 ฿31.25

208.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.26

$0.50 ฿16.78

356.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 A$10.96

$2.53 ฿85.0

203.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.50 A$10.70

$3.63 ฿122

106.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.68 A$3.82

$1.74 ฿58.4

54.02%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 A$4.89

$1.45 ฿48.73

136.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 A$3.15

$1.50 ฿50.5

47.33%

Eggs

$5.58 A$7.97

$2.17 ฿73.0

157.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.16 A$8.80

$19.09 ฿641

-67.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.59

$3.40 ฿114

180.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.69

$10.90 ฿366

33.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 A$5.14

$2.94 ฿98.8

22.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.36

$1.69 ฿56.8

80.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.66

$2.19 ฿73.7

49.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 A$4.95

$2.12 ฿71.4

63.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.89

$1.46 ฿48.99

86.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.56

$1.37 ฿45.95

82.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.46 A$4.93

$1.08 ฿36.14

220.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 A$2.21

$0.55 ฿18.32

181.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.40 A$60.5

$4.43 ฿149

857.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 A$20.23

$18.25 ฿613

-22.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.60 A$6.56

$1.77 ฿59.5

159.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 A$7.29

$2.88 ฿96.8

77.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 A$3.82

$1.45 ฿48.62

84.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.9 A$118

$54.9 ฿1,844

51.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 A$4.87

$1.51 ฿50.8

125.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.28

$0.78 ฿26.06

105.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.99 A$57.1

$3.84 ฿129

941.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.88

$1.49 ฿49.96

-11.41%

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

$29.3K A$41.8K

$26.9K ฿902.9K

9.00%

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

$26.3K A$37.5K

$26.3K ฿884.9K

-0.25%

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

$212 A$303

$97.8 ฿3,285

116.93%

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

$27.41 A$39.13

$11.29 ฿379

142.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.0 A$82.8

$17.19 ฿577

237.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.5 A$79.2

$68.3 ฿2,295

-18.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 A$25.68

$10.92 ฿367

64.84%

Cinema Ticket

$14.11 A$20.14

$7.43 ฿250

89.91%

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

$2,118 A$3,023

$530 ฿17.8K

299.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.4K

$18.8K ฿630.9K

9.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.1 A$110

$61.7 ฿2,072

25.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$76.8

$28.25 ฿949

90.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$154

$96.0 ฿3,225

12.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$86.8 ฿2,916

41.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 A$1,991

$721 ฿24.2K

93.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 A$1,723

$509 ฿17.1K

137.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 A$3,247

$1,950 ฿65.5K

16.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 A$2,603

$1,397 ฿46.9K

30.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,839 A$8,334

$4,192 ฿140.8K

39.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,029 A$7,177

$3,298 ฿110.8K

52.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

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 Ballina: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ballina

$1.2K 47.8%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 57.9% $698

Groceries & Markets

Ballina

$376 14.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 29% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballina

$298 11.8%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 57.6% $171

Eating Out

Ballina

$293 11.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 59.2% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Ballina

$163 6.4%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 24.5% $40

Getting Around

Ballina

$105 4.2%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 37.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Ballina

$84 3.3%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 0.6% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,395 in Ballina versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Ballina versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $376 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ballina

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

09:10 9:10 AM

4 h behind Ballina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,911

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.622 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.622 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ballina Phuket 7,170 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ballina
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

Ballina vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ballina is pricier by about 95%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,787 per month in Ballina and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $1,395 in Ballina.

Kindergarten costs $2,118 per month in Ballina and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Ballina, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Ballina at $2,525. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ballina it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 49% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.