Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thailand and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Thailand: $983 a month against $2,589 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Thailand
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Thailand Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
Learn more

Australia Living Index

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🇹🇭 Thailand

$983

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thailand and in Australia

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

A single person spends $983 per month in Thailand vs $2,589 in Australia, rent included.

Thailand $983
Australia $2,589

A couple spends around $1,628 per month in Thailand vs $3,789 in Australia, rent included.

Thailand $1,628
Australia $3,789

A family of three spends $2,273 per month in Thailand vs $4,990 in Australia, rent included.

Thailand $2,273
Australia $4,990

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,299) than in Thailand ($610–$2,253), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Thailand is roughly 62% lower than in Australia on average.

Thailand sits 27% below the global median, while Australia is 91% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ฿102

$17.24 A$24.87

-82.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.16 ฿875

$85.1 A$123

-69.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 ฿217

$11.18 A$16.13

-42.04%

Cappuccino

$2.01 ฿67.3

$4.01 A$5.78

-49.88%

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

$0.70 ฿23.45

$2.90 A$4.18

-75.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.78

$2.30 A$3.32

-84.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 ฿72.3

$7.74 A$11.17

-72.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$8.16 A$11.78

-55.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 ฿59.0

$1.73 A$2.49

1.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 ฿44.75

$2.69 A$3.88

-50.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 ฿41.78

$2.24 A$3.22

-44.20%

Eggs

$2.14 ฿71.7

$4.95 A$7.13

-56.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.67 ฿558

$9.42 A$13.59

76.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.04 ฿102

$9.40 A$13.56

-67.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.71 ฿358

$15.30 A$22.07

-30.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.65 A$5.27

-21.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.34

$3.08 A$4.44

-59.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.3

$3.27 A$4.72

-35.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ฿60.1

$4.59 A$6.62

-60.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.48 ฿49.63

$2.83 A$4.08

-47.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.11

$2.26 A$3.27

-41.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.82

$2.37 A$3.43

-52.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.29

$1.66 A$2.39

-70.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 ฿141

$38.43 A$55.4

-88.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.13 ฿573

$14.21 A$20.50

20.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 ฿58.6

$4.95 A$7.15

-64.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿89.8

$5.13 A$7.40

-47.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ฿30.62

$2.46 A$3.56

-62.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.30 ฿1,180

$93.0 A$134

-62.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.91

$3.66 A$5.28

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ฿37.83

$1.82 A$2.62

-37.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.90 ฿197

$43.83 A$63.2

-86.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$1.35 A$1.94

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

$31.4K ฿1.0M

$29.8K A$43.0K

5.07%

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

$26.6K ฿888.3K

$26.1K A$37.6K

1.79%

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

$81.3 ฿2,719

$208 A$300

-60.93%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$29.05 A$41.90

-58.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.57 ฿621

$58.7 A$84.7

-68.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.92 ฿1,669

$56.4 A$81.4

-11.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.48 ฿384

$19.40 A$27.99

-40.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.33 ฿212

$15.11 A$21.79

-58.11%

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

$559 ฿18.7K

$2,113 A$3,048

-73.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.8K ฿694.7K

$23.1K A$33.3K

-9.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 ฿1,714

$80.0 A$115

-35.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.71 ฿1,060

$54.2 A$78.2

-41.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 ฿2,917

$112 A$161

-21.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 ฿2,647

$125 A$180

-36.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 ฿16.6K

$1,620 A$2,337

-69.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 ฿10.5K

$1,256 A$1,812

-75.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 ฿46.2K

$2,616 A$3,774

-47.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 ฿27.0K

$2,007 A$2,895

-59.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,584 ฿119.8K

$8,539 A$12.3K

-58.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,100 ฿70.2K

$6,404 A$9,237

-67.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$566 ฿18.9K

$3,931 A$5,670

-85.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.67

5.96

-4.87%

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

Last update for Thailand: November 3, 2026

Last update for Australia: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Thailand

$313 31.9%

Australia

$1.3K 48.5% 301% $943

Groceries & Markets

Thailand

$247 25.1%

Australia

$373 14.4% 51% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Thailand

$112 11.4%

Australia

$167 6.4% 48.6% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thailand

$112 11.4%

Australia

$296 11.4% 164% $184

Eating Out

Thailand

$90 9.2%

Australia

$295 11.4% 227% $205

Sport & Entertainment

Thailand

$63 6.4%

Australia

$87 3.4% 38.4% $24

Getting Around

Thailand

$46 4.7%

Australia

$116 4.5% 152% $70

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $475 in Thailand vs $1,381 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $710 in Bangkok and $1,761 in Canberra.

Average salary: $609 in Thailand vs $3,863 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 191% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 219% more in Australia.

Public transport is 93% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 6.3 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Thailand

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

17:58 5:58 PM

4 h ahead of Thailand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,188,503

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.693 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.693 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Thailand Australia 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Thailand
Australia

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

Thailand vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thailand is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 62% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,381 versus $475 in Thailand.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Thailand – part of why living there is about 62% cheaper overall.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Thailand, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Thailand is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.