Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ballina, Australia

Name: Ballina
Address: Ballina, AU

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.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Ballina
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Ballina Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Ballina

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ballina

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 Ballina actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Phuket $1,294
Ballina $2,525

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

Phuket $2,204
Ballina $3,645

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

Phuket $3,115
Ballina $4,766

Phuket is about 49% cheaper than Ballina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$17.32 A$24.72

-74.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$83.4 A$119

-61.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$10.54 A$15.04

-17.46%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$4.05 A$5.79

-32.84%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$2.87 A$4.10

-67.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$2.28 A$3.26

-78.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$7.68 A$10.96

-67.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$7.50 A$10.70

-51.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$2.68 A$3.82

-35.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$3.43 A$4.89

-57.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.21 A$3.15

-32.13%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$5.58 A$7.97

-61.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$6.16 A$8.80

209.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$9.52 A$13.59

-64.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$14.50 A$20.69

-24.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$3.60 A$5.14

-18.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$3.05 A$4.36

-44.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$3.27 A$4.66

-33.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$3.47 A$4.95

-38.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$2.73 A$3.89

-46.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$2.50 A$3.56

-45.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$3.46 A$4.93

-68.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$1.55 A$2.21

-64.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$42.40 A$60.5

-89.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$14.17 A$20.23

28.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$4.60 A$6.56

-61.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$5.11 A$7.29

-43.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$2.68 A$3.82

-45.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$82.9 A$118

-33.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$3.41 A$4.87

-55.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$1.60 A$2.28

-51.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$39.99 A$57.1

-90.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.32 A$1.88

12.88%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$29.3K A$41.8K

-8.26%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$26.3K A$37.5K

0.25%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$212 A$303

-53.90%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$27.41 A$39.13

-58.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$58.0 A$82.8

-70.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$55.5 A$79.2

23.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$18.00 A$25.68

-39.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$14.11 A$20.14

-47.34%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$2,118 A$3,023

-74.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$20.6K A$29.4K

-8.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$77.1 A$110

-20.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$53.8 A$76.8

-47.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$108 A$154

-11.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$122 A$175

-29.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$1,395 A$1,991

-48.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$1,207 A$1,723

-57.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$2,275 A$3,247

-14.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$1,824 A$2,603

-23.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$5,839 A$8,334

-28.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$5,029 A$7,177

-34.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.9

-5.59%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ballina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Ballina

$1.2K 47.8% 137% $698

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Ballina

$376 14.9% 40.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Ballina

$298 11.8% 136% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Ballina

$163 6.4% 32.5% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Ballina

$293 11.6% 145% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Ballina

$84 3.3% 0.6% $0.5

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Ballina

$105 4.2% 58.9% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $1,395 in Ballina. 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 $32 in Phuket versus $83 in Ballina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $376 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇺 Ballina

🕒 Local time

09:37 9:37 AM

13:37 1:37 PM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,911

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.622 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ballina 7,170 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ballina

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 Ballina: 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 $1,940 per month in Phuket and $3,787 in Ballina. 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 $530 per month in Phuket and $2,118 in Ballina. 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.