Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bendigo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,008 in Bendigo, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Bendigo
Learn more

Bendigo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Bendigo

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,008

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,008 per month in Bendigo vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Bendigo $2,008
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,978 per month in Bendigo vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Bendigo $2,978
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Bendigo vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Bendigo $3,948
Phuket $3,154

Bendigo costs about 57% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bendigo sits 48% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$24.60

$4.47 ฿151

288.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 A$109

$32.41 ฿1,092

137.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 A$17.57

$8.81 ฿297

40.75%

Cappuccino

$4.08 A$5.78

$2.83 ฿95.3

44.17%

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

$3.10 A$4.39

$0.87 ฿29.37

256.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 A$3.66

$0.49 ฿16.64

426.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.97 A$14.12

$2.56 ฿86.2

289.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.66 A$12.27

$3.68 ฿124

135.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.92

$1.66 ฿55.9

-18.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 A$4.13

$1.46 ฿49.25

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.64

$1.50 ฿50.4

71.33%

Eggs

$4.73 A$6.71

$2.09 ฿70.4

126.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 A$15.15

$19.07 ฿642

-43.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.04 A$14.23

$3.30 ฿111

204.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.55 A$14.95

$10.91 ฿368

-3.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 A$5.04

$2.93 ฿98.7

21.50%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 A$4.31

$1.69 ฿56.9

80.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.59

$2.25 ฿75.7

44.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.80 A$6.79

$2.08 ฿70.0

130.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.08

$1.51 ฿50.9

90.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.50

$1.38 ฿46.47

78.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.49

$1.07 ฿35.91

129.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 A$2.31

$0.52 ฿17.49

213.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.51 A$63.1

$4.20 ฿142

959.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.38 A$14.70

$18.79 ฿633

-44.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.46 A$7.73

$1.82 ฿61.4

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 A$7.59

$2.84 ฿95.7

88.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.45 A$4.88

$1.45 ฿48.93

137.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.9 A$80.6

$56.7 ฿1,909

0.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 A$5.84

$3.02 ฿102

36.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 A$2.00

$1.02 ฿34.29

38.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.84 A$19.61

$3.69 ฿124

275.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.80

$1.47 ฿49.70

-13.61%

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

$27.6K A$39.1K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

3.03%

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

$19.7K A$27.9K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-26.34%

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

$142 A$202

$96.4 ฿3,247

47.85%

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

$27.59 A$39.08

$11.26 ฿380

145.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 A$80.1

$16.85 ฿568

235.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 A$27.88

$10.73 ฿361

83.41%

Cinema Ticket

$12.70 A$17.99

$7.50 ฿253

69.33%

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

$2,154 A$3,051

$476 ฿16.0K

352.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.9K A$42.3K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

165.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.5 A$116

$62.4 ฿2,102

30.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.98 A$70.8

$28.41 ฿957

75.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 A$167

$94.3 ฿3,178

25.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 A$192

$85.8 ฿2,892

57.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 A$1,608

$716 ฿24.1K

58.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 A$1,169

$491 ฿16.5K

68.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 A$1,894

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-30.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,248 A$1,767

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-12.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,400 A$6,232

$4,175 ฿140.7K

5.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,892 A$5,514

$3,045 ฿102.6K

27.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,967 A$4,202

$502 ฿16.9K

490.63%

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 Bendigo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bendigo

$825 41.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 40.5% $334

Groceries & Markets

Bendigo

$361 18%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 26.2% $94

Eating Out

Bendigo

$315 15.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 61.4% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bendigo

$227 11.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 45.1% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Bendigo

$173 8.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 29.7% $51

Getting Around

Bendigo

$82 4.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 13.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Bendigo

$25 * 1.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 224% $57

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,135 in Bendigo versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bendigo are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Bendigo versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Bendigo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

10:07 10:07 AM

4 h behind Bendigo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,649

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 0.634 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bendigo Phuket 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bendigo
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

Bendigo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bendigo is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,012 per month in Bendigo and $1,917 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 $716 there versus $1,135 in Bendigo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,008 in Bendigo and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 36% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $2,154 per month in Bendigo and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Bendigo at $2,008. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bendigo 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.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bendigo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.