Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Balga

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.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
126

Cost of Living Index in Balga
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Balga Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Balga

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

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

Phuket $1,278
Balga $2,762

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

Phuket $2,216
Balga $3,828

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

Phuket $3,154
Balga $4,893

Living in Phuket costs roughly 54% less than in Balga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$20.97 A$29.71

-78.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$83.2 A$118

-61.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.13 A$15.77

-20.84%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$4.62 A$6.54

-38.74%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.80 A$3.96

-68.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$2.30 A$3.26

-78.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$8.39 A$11.89

-69.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.25 A$11.69

-55.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.74 A$2.46

-4.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$3.14 A$4.45

-53.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.97 A$2.79

-23.86%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$5.09 A$7.22

-58.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$9.27 A$13.13

105.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.46 A$13.40

-65.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.74 A$19.46

-20.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$4.56 A$6.46

-35.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$3.21 A$4.55

-47.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.56 A$5.05

-36.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.85 A$6.87

-57.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.85 A$4.03

-47.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.93 A$2.73

-28.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.26 A$3.21

-52.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.34 A$1.90

-61.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$42.17 A$59.7

-90.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$12.46 A$17.65

50.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$4.35 A$6.16

-58.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.52 A$4.98

-19.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.67 A$3.78

-45.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$78.5 A$111

-27.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.61 A$5.12

-16.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.39 A$1.97

-26.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$41.13 A$58.3

-91.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.35 A$1.91

8.89%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$29.9K A$42.4K

-10.49%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$27.8K A$39.5K

-4.16%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$207 A$293

-53.35%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$33.27 A$47.13

-66.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$63.5 A$90.0

-73.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$62.6 A$88.7

7.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$19.26 A$27.29

-44.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$17.26 A$24.45

-56.55%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$2,271 A$3,217

-79.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$23.7K A$33.6K

-52.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$78.3 A$111

-20.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$63.5 A$89.9

-55.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$123 A$175

-23.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$165 A$233

-47.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,467 A$2,078

-51.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$1,368 A$1,938

-64.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$2,000 A$2,833

-3.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,781 A$2,523

-19.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$6,422 A$9,097

-34.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$4,389 A$6,217

-30.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,358 A$4,757

-85.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.96

-6.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Balga: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Balga

$1.4K 49.5% 179% $877

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Balga

$365 13.2% 37.2% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Balga

$303 11% 144% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Balga

$193 7% 58.6% $71

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Balga

$335 12.1% 176% $214

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Balga

$97 3.5% 18.1% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Balga

$100 3.6% 41.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,467 in Balga. 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: $32 in Phuket vs $83 in Balga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $365 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Balga

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

21:56 9:56 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

12,685

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.633 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Balga 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Balga

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

Phuket vs Balga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $1,467 in Balga. 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 $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,762 in Balga – 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, Phuket and Balga 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.