Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ao Nang and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ao Nang: $995 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Ao Nang
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Ao Nang Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ao Nang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$995

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ao Nang and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $995 in Ao Nang versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Ao Nang $995
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,506 in Ao Nang versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Ao Nang $1,506
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,018 in Ao Nang versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Ao Nang $2,018
Phuket $3,154

Living in Ao Nang costs roughly 22% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ao Nang 27% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 ฿99.0

$4.47 ฿151

-34.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.82 ฿803

$32.41 ฿1,092

-26.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 ฿339

$8.81 ฿297

14.30%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ฿58.6

$2.83 ฿95.3

-38.52%

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

$0.67 ฿22.51

$0.87 ฿29.37

-22.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.55

$0.49 ฿16.64

-30.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.56 ฿86.2

-18.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.68 ฿124

-20.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.71 ฿91.5

$1.66 ฿55.9

63.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.46 ฿49.25

2.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ฿47.10

$1.50 ฿50.4

-6.67%

Eggs

$2.65 ฿89.4

$2.09 ฿70.4

26.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.81 ฿567

$19.07 ฿642

-11.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.59 ฿87.4

$3.30 ฿111

-21.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ฿339

$10.91 ฿368

-7.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿100

$2.93 ฿98.7

1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.71

$1.69 ฿56.9

-37.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿74.4

$2.25 ฿75.7

-1.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 ฿63.5

$2.08 ฿70.0

-9.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.51 ฿50.9

-0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ฿35.33

$1.38 ฿46.47

-23.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.55

$1.07 ฿35.91

3.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.15

$0.52 ฿17.49

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.37 ฿147

$4.20 ฿142

4.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.60 ฿593

$18.79 ฿633

-6.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 ฿57.7

$1.82 ฿61.4

-6.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ฿96.4

$2.84 ฿95.7

0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.20

$1.45 ฿48.93

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.11 ฿1,217

$56.7 ฿1,909

-36.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 ฿38.68

$3.02 ฿102

-61.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ฿38.89

$1.02 ฿34.29

12.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.04 ฿204

$3.69 ฿124

63.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ฿47.26

$1.47 ฿49.70

-4.76%

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

$26.7K ฿899.6K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-0.31%

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

$27.9K ฿940.5K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

4.56%

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

$105 ฿3,552

$96.4 ฿3,247

9.38%

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

$8.46 ฿285

$11.26 ฿380

-24.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.52 ฿691

$16.85 ฿568

21.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.89 ฿1,479

$67.2 ฿2,266

-34.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.16 ฿443

$10.73 ฿361

22.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.43 ฿217

$7.50 ฿253

-14.27%

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

$619 ฿20.9K

$476 ฿16.0K

30.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ฿361.4K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-4.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 ฿1,693

$62.4 ฿2,102

-19.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.51 ฿995

$28.41 ฿957

3.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ฿2,542

$94.3 ฿3,178

-20.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.6 ฿2,581

$85.8 ฿2,892

-10.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 ฿11.8K

$716 ฿24.1K

-50.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$300 ฿10.1K

$491 ฿16.5K

-38.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 ฿31.7K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-51.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 ฿18.2K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-62.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,332 ฿78.6K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-44.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,954 ฿65.8K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-35.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,275 ฿43.0K

$502 ฿16.9K

153.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Ao Nang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ao Nang

$300 30.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 63.7% $191

Groceries & Markets

Ao Nang

$258 25.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 3.2% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ao Nang

$134 13.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 7.4% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Ao Nang

$104 10.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.9% $18

Eating Out

Ao Nang

$95 9.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 28.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Ao Nang

$57 5.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 44.9% $25

Getting Around

Ao Nang

$46 4.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 51.8% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $351 in Ao Nang and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ao Nang pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24 in Ao Nang vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $258 vs $266 per month, with Ao Nang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Ao Nang

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

Same time as Ao Nang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Ao Nang Phuket 45 km

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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

Ao Nang vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $995 in Ao Nang and $1,278 in Phuket, so Ao Nang is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Ao Nang is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $351 in Ao Nang versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ao Nang – a meal for two runs $24 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $995 per month in Ao Nang versus $1,278 in Phuket – Ao Nang is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $995 in Ao Nang versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ao Nang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ao Nang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ao Nang and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ao Nang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.