Cost of Living Comparison Between Arenal and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Arenal and Phuket

😐 Solo nomad: Arenal is 30.2% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 28.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Arenal is 17.7% more expensive than Phuket without rent, and 0.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Arenal
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.9 ₡5,456
$4.68 ฿151
132.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.6 ₡29.3K
$46.4 ฿1,502
26.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.82 ₡4,918
$8.65 ฿280
13.53%
Cappuccino
$3.8 ₡1,904
$3.09 ฿100
22.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 ₡990
$0.73 ฿23.53
171.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 ₡805
$0.37 ฿11.95
335.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3 ₡1,502
$2.39 ฿77.4
25.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.73 ₡2,367
$3.62 ฿117
30.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Arenal
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ₡1,033
$2.24 ฿72.5
-8.04%
White Bread (500g)
$2.85 ₡1,428
$1.8 ฿58.2
58.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 ₡1,112
$2.24 ฿72.3
-0.89%
Eggs
$2.93 ₡1,469
$2.23 ฿72.1
31.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.74 ₡4,874
$19.31 ฿625
-49.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.08 ₡4,546
$3.77 ฿122
140.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.84 ₡6,931
$13.05 ฿422
6.05%
Apples (1kg)
$4.4 ₡2,203
$3.28 ฿106
34.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 ₡756
$1.63 ฿52.6
-7.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.36 ₡2,183
$2.4 ฿77.7
81.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.55 ₡1,779
$1.99 ฿64.3
78.39%
Potato (1kg)
$3.52 ₡1,765
$1.53 ฿49.62
130.07%
Onion (1kg)
$3.21 ₡1,605
$1.49 ฿48.11
115.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 ₡484
$1.02 ฿32.87
-4.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.85 ₡1,427
$0.48 ฿15.61
493.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.38 ₡2,695
$4.32 ฿140
24.54%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.66 ₡9,343
$21.68 ฿702
-13.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.52 ₡1,259
$1.77 ฿57.3
42.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 ₡1,476
$2.79 ฿90.4
5.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Arenal
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.04 ₡520
$1.35 ฿43.74
-22.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.76 ฿380
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.78 ₡891
$3.15 ฿102
-43.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 ₡921
$1 ฿32.3
84.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.11 ₡4,058
$13.64 ฿442
-40.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.4 ₡700
$1.3 ฿42.2
7.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.7K ₡18.9M
$27.4K ฿885.2K
37.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K ₡16.6M
$33.9K ฿1.1M
-2.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Arenal
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.5 ₡47.3K
$123 ฿3,970
-22.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.71 ₡12.9K
$13.93 ฿451
84.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$59.1 ₡29.6K
$18.24 ฿590
224.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Arenal
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.8 ₡28.9K
$60.8 ฿1,966
-4.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.97 ₡12K
$17.11 ฿554
40.09%
Cinema Ticket
$9.73 ₡4,873
$9.07 ฿294
7.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Arenal
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$561 ₡280.7K
$694 ฿22.5K
-19.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.7K ₡6.4M
$15.9K ฿514.4K
-19.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Arenal
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.6 ₡30.8K
$57.5 ฿1,861
7.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$52.4 ₡26.2K
$34.51 ฿1,117
51.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$126 ₡63.1K
$115 ฿3,727
9.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 ₡54K
$84.8 ฿2,743
27.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Arenal
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$759 ₡380.1K
$611 ฿19.8K
24.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$597 ₡299K
$442 ฿14.3K
35.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,533 ₡767.2K
$2,014 ฿65.2K
-23.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$968 ₡484.4K
$1,460 ฿47.2K
-33.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,244 ฿137.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$2,886 ฿93.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Arenal
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$697 ฿22.5K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.17
5.33
90.81%

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

Last update for Arenal: October 27, 2025

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

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