Cost of Living · TH vs AU
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai vs 🇦🇺 Sydney: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $706 in Thailand vs $2,238 in Australia — 217.06% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Australia
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 45.31%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 45.94%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 45.96%
Closest to Thailand prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +275.66%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +275.66%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +275.66%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Thailand | Australia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $428 | $1,610 (2,498 AUD) | +275.66% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $343 | $1,288 (1,998 AUD) | +275.66% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $783 | $2,943 (4,568 AUD) | +275.66% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $5.96 | $16.85 (26 AUD) | +182.72% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $24.83 | $70.23 (109 AUD) | +182.84% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.03 | $10.36 (16 AUD) | +157.07% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.49 | $1.05 (2 AUD) | +114.29% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.43 | $3.05 (5 AUD) | +113.29% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.52 | $3.24 (5 AUD) | +113.16% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $4.47 | $9.53 (15 AUD) | +113.2% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.79 | $3.81 (6 AUD) | +112.85% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.15 | $4.58 (7 AUD) | +113.02% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.37 | $11.44 (18 AUD) | +113.04% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.89 | $1.91 (3 AUD) | +114.61% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $1.99 | $5.62 (9 AUD) | +182.41% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.35 | $7.81 (12 AUD) | +45.98% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.66 | $4.68 (7 AUD) | +181.93% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.03 | $2.19 (3 AUD) | +112.62% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $23.79 | $61.23 (95 AUD) | +157.38% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.01 | $2.59 (4 AUD) | +156.44% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.32 | $3.75 (6 AUD) | +184.09% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.60 | $1.69 (3 AUD) | +181.67% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.64 | $0.93 (1 AUD) | +45.31% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $73.20 | $188 (292 AUD) | +157.38% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $25.62 | $65.94 (102 AUD) | +157.38% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $16.47 | $42.39 (66 AUD) | +157.38% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $16.55 | $46.82 (73 AUD) | +182.9% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $4.63 | $13.11 (20 AUD) | +183.15% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $9.93 | $28.09 (44 AUD) | +182.88% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $36.79 | $53.70 (83 AUD) | +45.96% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $60.21 | $87.87 (136 AUD) | +45.94% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $82.75 | $234 (363 AUD) | +182.9% |
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 more expensive is Australia than Thailand?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,238 in Australia versus $706 in Thailand — 217.06% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Australia?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $5.62 in Australia (≈ 8.72 AUD), versus about $1.99 in Thailand.
- How much is rent in Australia compared to Thailand?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,610/month in Australia versus $428/month in Thailand (+275.66%). 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.