Cost of Living · AU vs TH
🇦🇺 Sydney vs 🇹🇭 Chiang Mai: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $2,244 in Australia vs $608 in Thailand — 73% cheaper.
- Essentials, Australia
- $2,244/mo
- Essentials, Thailand
- $608/mo
- Difference
- -73%
- 1-bed city rent, Thailand
- $360/mo
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Thailand
- Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -78%
- Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -78%
- Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -78%
Closest to Australia prices
- Running shoes (brand): -35%
- Jeans (mid-range brand): -35%
- Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -35%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Australia | Thailand | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,614 | $360 (11,827 THB) | -78% |
| Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,291 | $288 (9,462 THB) | -78% |
| Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,952 | $658 (21,627 THB) | -78% |
| Food out | |||
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $16.89 | $5.19 (171 THB) | -69% |
| Dinner for two, mid-range | $70.39 | $21.64 (712 THB) | -69% |
| Fast-food combo meal | $10.38 | $3.55 (117 THB) | -66% |
| Groceries | |||
| Milk, 1L | $1.05 | $0.45 (15 THB) | -57% |
| Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $3.06 | $1.30 (43 THB) | -58% |
| Eggs, dozen | $3.25 | $1.38 (45 THB) | -58% |
| Chicken breast, 1kg | $9.55 | $4.05 (133 THB) | -58% |
| White rice, 1kg | $3.82 | $1.62 (53 THB) | -58% |
| Apples, 1kg | $4.58 | $1.94 (64 THB) | -58% |
| Local cheese, 1kg | $11.46 | $4.86 (160 THB) | -58% |
| Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.91 | $0.81 (27 THB) | -58% |
| Drinks | |||
| Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $5.63 | $1.73 (57 THB) | -69% |
| Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.82 | $5.09 (167 THB) | -35% |
| Cappuccino | $4.69 | $1.44 (47 THB) | -69% |
| Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.20 | $0.93 (31 THB) | -58% |
| Transport | |||
| Public transport, monthly pass | $61.36 | $21.00 (691 THB) | -66% |
| Public transport, one-way | $2.60 | $0.89 (29 THB) | -66% |
| Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.75 | $1.15 (38 THB) | -69% |
| Taxi, per km | $1.69 | $0.52 (17 THB) | -69% |
| Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.93 | $0.60 (20 THB) | -35% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $189 | $64.60 (2,124 THB) | -66% |
| Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $66.08 | $22.61 (743 THB) | -66% |
| Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $42.48 | $14.54 (478 THB) | -66% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| Gym membership, month | $46.93 | $14.42 (474 THB) | -69% |
| Cinema seat | $13.14 | $4.04 (133 THB) | -69% |
| Men's haircut | $28.16 | $8.65 (284 THB) | -69% |
| Jeans (mid-range brand) | $53.75 | $35.00 (1,151 THB) | -35% |
| Running shoes (brand) | $87.95 | $57.27 (1,883 THB) | -35% |
| Coworking hot desk, month | $235 | $72.12 (2,372 THB) | -69% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Beyond prices
What each place pays, charges and offers — wages, rent, healthcare, climate, risk and time off. Figures come from the same engines behind the individual tools, so they match what those pages say. They sit about 7,288 km apart as the crow flies.
| Measure | 🇦🇺 Australia | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Median local wage Monthly, USD. The local midpoint, not an average. | $3,805 | $403 |
| Rent, modelled 1-bed Monthly, USD. | $1,534 | — |
| Rent as % of a local wage Are locals priced out? | 40.3% | — |
| Out-of-pocket healthcare Per person per year, USD. | $1,106 | $32.00 |
| Doctors per 1,000 WHO. | 4.1 | 0.5 |
| Comfortable days a year 18-27 °C and dry. Measured at Sydney and Chiang Mai. | 145 | 19 |
| Rule of law World Bank WGI. A survey composite, so the band leads, not the decimal. | very strong | weak |
| Country risk INFORM, 0-10. Lower is safer. | 2.4 (low) | 5.1 (high) |
| Public holidays Observed nationwide; regional days are counted separately. | 6 + 21 regional | — |
| Air quality Mean annual PM2.5, µg/m³. WHO guideline is 5. Lower is better. | 6.3 | 25.1 |
| Life expectancy Years at birth — the outcome, not the spending. | 83.1 | 76.6 |
| Homicide rate Per 100,000 a year. A count, not a perception score. | 0.9 | — |
| Population online % using the internet. Reach, not speed — the row below is speed. | 96.1% | 90.9% |
| Internet download Measured median, Mbps. | 176.8 | 195 |
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Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Thailand than Australia?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $608 in Thailand versus $2,244 in Australia — 73% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Thailand?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $1.73 in Thailand (≈ 56.89 THB), versus about $5.63 in Australia.
- How much is rent in Thailand compared to Australia?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $360/month in Thailand versus $1,614/month in Australia (-78%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.