Cost of Living · AU vs TH
🇦🇺 Sydney vs 🇹🇭 Chiang Mai: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $2,238 in Australia vs $706 in Thailand — 68.46% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Thailand
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -73.38%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -73.38%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -73.38%
Closest to Australia prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -31.18%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -31.48%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -31.49%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Australia | Thailand | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,610 | $428 (14,089 THB) | -73.38% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,288 | $343 (11,271 THB) | -73.38% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,943 | $783 (25,763 THB) | -73.38% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $16.85 | $5.96 (196 THB) | -64.63% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $70.23 | $24.83 (816 THB) | -64.64% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $10.36 | $4.03 (133 THB) | -61.1% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $1.05 | $0.49 (16 THB) | -53.33% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $3.05 | $1.43 (47 THB) | -53.11% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $3.24 | $1.52 (50 THB) | -53.09% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $9.53 | $4.47 (147 THB) | -53.1% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.81 | $1.79 (59 THB) | -53.02% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.58 | $2.15 (71 THB) | -53.06% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $11.44 | $5.37 (177 THB) | -53.06% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.91 | $0.89 (29 THB) | -53.4% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $5.62 | $1.99 (65 THB) | -64.59% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.81 | $5.35 (176 THB) | -31.5% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $4.68 | $1.66 (55 THB) | -64.53% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $2.19 | $1.03 (34 THB) | -52.97% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $61.23 | $23.79 (782 THB) | -61.15% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.59 | $1.01 (33 THB) | -61% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.75 | $1.32 (43 THB) | -64.8% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.69 | $0.60 (20 THB) | -64.5% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.93 | $0.64 (21 THB) | -31.18% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $188 | $73.20 (2,407 THB) | -61.15% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $65.94 | $25.62 (842 THB) | -61.15% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $42.39 | $16.47 (542 THB) | -61.15% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $46.82 | $16.55 (544 THB) | -64.65% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $13.11 | $4.63 (152 THB) | -64.68% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $28.09 | $9.93 (327 THB) | -64.65% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $53.70 | $36.79 (1,210 THB) | -31.49% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $87.87 | $60.21 (1,980 THB) | -31.48% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $234 | $82.75 (2,721 THB) | -64.65% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Thailand than Australia?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $706 in Thailand versus $2,238 in Australia — 68.46% 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 $1.99 in Thailand (≈ 65.44 THB), versus about $5.62 in Australia.
- How much is rent in Thailand compared to Australia?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $428/month in Thailand versus $1,610/month in Australia (-73.38%). 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.