Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Blackpool and Ballarat

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballarat: $1,902 a month against $2,068 in Blackpool, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Blackpool outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

101

Cost of Living Index in Blackpool
Learn more

Blackpool Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
Learn more

Ballarat Living Index

Jump to prices

Blackpool

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,068

/mo nomad

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,902

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Blackpool and in Ballarat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,068 in Blackpool versus $1,902 in Ballarat.

Blackpool $2,068
Ballarat $1,902

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,965 in Blackpool versus $3,035 in Ballarat.

Blackpool $2,965
Ballarat $3,035

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,862 in Blackpool versus $4,168 in Ballarat.

Blackpool $3,862
Ballarat $4,168

Living in Blackpool is roughly 9% more expensive than in Ballarat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Blackpool 53% above, Ballarat 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.50 £14.63

$17.70 A$25.47

10.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.0 £47.98

$69.9 A$101

-8.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 £7.57

$10.27 A$14.78

-1.66%

Cappuccino

$3.65 £2.74

$3.79 A$5.45

-3.69%

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

$1.93 £1.45

$2.95 A$4.24

-34.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 £0.78

$1.89 A$2.72

-44.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.72 £3.54

$6.06 A$8.72

-22.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 £3.92

$6.09 A$8.77

-14.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.57 A$2.27

11.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.65 A$3.82

-23.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 £1.79

$2.32 A$3.35

3.02%

Eggs

$3.46 £2.60

$4.09 A$5.88

-15.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.37 £10.03

$10.56 A$15.20

26.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.44 £7.09

$9.96 A$14.33

-5.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 £10.41

$14.97 A$21.55

-7.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.71 £3.54

$3.51 A$5.04

34.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$3.02 A$4.34

-44.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 £2.09

$3.11 A$4.48

-10.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 £2.00

$4.68 A$6.73

-42.95%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$3.07 A$4.42

-29.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 £1.46

$2.55 A$3.67

-23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 £1.02

$2.35 A$3.38

-42.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 £1.04

$1.48 A$2.14

-6.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.75 £14.82

$34.39 A$49.49

-42.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.67 £8.00

$12.66 A$18.21

-15.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 £1.83

$2.31 A$3.33

5.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 £3.13

$3.11 A$4.48

34.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.20 £2.40

$2.76 A$3.97

15.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.0 £62.3

$69.9 A$101

18.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 £3.97

$2.53 A$3.65

109.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.32 £2.49

$1.34 A$1.93

147.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.27 £22.71

$26.64 A$38.33

13.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.18 A$1.70

63.56%

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

$37.1K £27.8K

$28.4K A$40.9K

30.52%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$26.0K A$37.4K

48.21%

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

$387 £291

$206 A$296

88.50%

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

$18.18 £13.64

$27.76 A$39.95

-34.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.57 £32.68

$57.4 A$82.6

-24.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.56 £25.18

$31.36 A$45.13

7.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.44 £24.34

$11.18 A$16.09

190.16%

Cinema Ticket

$13.09 £9.82

$15.38 A$22.14

-14.89%

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

$901 £676

$2,144 A$3,085

-57.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$53.3K £40.0K

$30.2K A$43.4K

76.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 £75.2

$68.7 A$98.8

45.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.6 £45.45

$50.1 A$72.2

20.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 £60.7

$99.6 A$143

-18.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.7 £60.5

$134 A$193

-39.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$887 £665

$923 A$1,329

-3.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$697 £523

$671 A$965

3.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 £921

$1,288 A$1,854

-4.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 £787

$1,454 A$2,092

-27.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,622 A$6,651

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,449 A$4,963

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,552 £1,915

$3,136 A$4,512

-18.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

5.55

1.44%

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

Last update for Blackpool: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Blackpool

$697 33.7%

Ballarat

$671 35.3% 3.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Blackpool

$449 21.7%

Ballarat

$291 15.3% 35.3% $159

Groceries & Markets

Blackpool

$323 15.6%

Ballarat

$350 18.4% 8.6% $28

Eating Out

Blackpool

$276 13.4%

Ballarat

$280 14.7% 1.3% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Blackpool

$145 7%

Ballarat

$158 8.3% 9.3% $13

Getting Around

Blackpool

$118 5.7%

Ballarat

$90 4.7% 23.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Blackpool

$60 2.9%

Ballarat

$62 3.3% 4% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $887 in Blackpool and $923 in Ballarat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $64.0 in Blackpool vs $70.0 in Ballarat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $323 vs $350 per month, with Blackpool cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Blackpool

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

04:12 4:12 AM

10 h ahead of Blackpool

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,720

105,348

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Blackpool Ballarat 16,920 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Blackpool
Ballarat

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

Blackpool vs Ballarat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballarat wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Blackpool. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ballarat the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Ballarat. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $887 in Blackpool versus $923 in Ballarat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $901 in Blackpool versus $2,144 in Ballarat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Blackpool pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,902 in Ballarat versus $2,068 in Blackpool, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ballarat but tight or insufficient in Blackpool. The gap between the two cities makes Ballarat 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, Blackpool and Ballarat 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 Ballarat gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Blackpool. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.