Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ballarat

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,907 in Ballarat, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Ballarat
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Ballarat Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ballarat

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,907 in Ballarat.

Phuket $1,278
Ballarat $1,907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,040 in Ballarat.

Phuket $2,216
Ballarat $3,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,172 in Ballarat.

Phuket $3,154
Ballarat $4,172

Living in Phuket costs roughly 33% less than in Ballarat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Ballarat is 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.26 A$24.46

-74.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$69.7 A$98.7

-53.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.44 A$14.79

-15.61%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.72 A$5.26

-23.92%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.95 A$4.18

-70.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.73 A$2.46

-71.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$6.26 A$8.86

-59.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.18 A$8.76

-40.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.55 A$2.20

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.81 A$3.98

-48.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.23 A$3.16

-32.74%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$4.17 A$5.90

-49.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$10.43 A$14.77

82.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.13 A$14.35

-67.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.20 A$21.53

-28.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$3.61 A$5.11

-18.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$3.10 A$4.39

-45.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.23 A$4.57

-30.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.47 A$6.34

-53.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.10 A$4.39

-51.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.46 A$3.49

-43.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.34 A$3.31

-54.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.50 A$2.13

-65.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$35.41 A$50.2

-88.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$12.65 A$17.93

48.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.33 A$3.29

-21.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.19 A$4.52

-10.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.76 A$3.91

-47.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$71.1 A$101

-20.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.58 A$3.66

17.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.32 A$1.86

-22.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$26.48 A$37.51

-86.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.22 A$1.73

20.49%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$29.7K A$42.1K

-9.82%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$25.4K A$36.0K

4.95%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$207 A$293

-53.46%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$27.77 A$39.34

-59.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$57.1 A$80.9

-70.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$31.65 A$44.84

112.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$11.37 A$16.10

-5.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.14 A$21.44

-50.46%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$2,198 A$3,114

-78.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$30.0K A$42.4K

-62.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$70.6 A$100

-11.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$49.59 A$70.3

-42.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$100 A$142

-5.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$134 A$189

-35.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$903 A$1,279

-20.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$673 A$953

-27.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,290 A$1,828

49.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,454 A$2,059

-1.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$4,809 A$6,812

-13.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$3,452 A$4,890

-11.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,185 A$4,511

-84.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.55

0.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ballarat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ballarat

$673 35.3% 37.1% $182

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ballarat

$354 18.5% 32.8% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ballarat

$292 15.3% 135% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ballarat

$159 8.4% 30.7% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ballarat

$276 14.5% 127% $155

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ballarat

$62 3.3% 24.7% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ballarat

$91 4.8% 29.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $903 in Ballarat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballarat pays about 6.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $70 in Ballarat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $354 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Ballarat

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

16:05 4:05 PM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

105,348

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 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 = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 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 = 0.634 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ballarat 6,910 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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

Phuket vs Ballarat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 33% 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.

On paper, salaries run 84% 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 $903 in Ballarat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $2,198 in Ballarat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Ballarat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,907 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 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 Ballarat 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 33% less than in Ballarat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.