Cost of Living Comparison Between Arrest and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Arrest and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,995 in Arrest versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,036 in Arrest versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,077 in Arrest versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Arrest is roughly 60% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Arrest is 49% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 €15.43

$4.55 ฿153

288.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 €62.3

$46.18 ฿1,550

54.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.81 €12.07

$8.84 ฿297

56.22%

Cappuccino

$4.57 €3.99

$3.06 ฿103

49.35%

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

$3.98 €3.48

$0.73 ฿24.36

445.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.90

$0.40 ฿13.37

730.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.20 €7.17

$2.43 ฿81.6

237.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.04 €7.02

$3.78 ฿127

112.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.37

$2.26 ฿75.8

-30.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.03 €1.78

$1.81 ฿60.8

12.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.88 €2.51

$2.25 ฿75.7

28.00%

Eggs

$5.00 €4.37

$2.25 ฿75.4

122.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.91 €22.64

$19.51 ฿655

32.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.08 €12.30

$3.65 ฿122

285.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.82 €17.32

$13.05 ฿438

51.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 €3.10

$3.23 ฿109

9.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.09

$1.62 ฿54.3

47.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 €3.08

$2.38 ฿80.0

48.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 €3.39

$2.03 ฿68.0

90.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.73 €2.38

$1.53 ฿51.5

78.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 €2.71

$1.50 ฿50.4

107.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 €1.66

$0.98 ฿32.85

92.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.76

$0.52 ฿17.36

67.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.02 €13.13

$4.44 ฿149

238.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.99 €7.86

$18.32 ฿615

-50.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.38

$1.86 ฿62.6

46.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 €3.55

$2.68 ฿90.0

51.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.74

$1.41 ฿47.37

41.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.37 €42.26

$11.70 ฿393

313.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €3.94

$3.11 ฿104

45.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 €1.81

$1.04 ฿35.00

99.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.6 €49.45

$14.11 ฿474

301.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.89

$1.31 ฿44.02

64.89%

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

$35.1K €30.6K

$27.8K ฿933.8K

26.06%

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

$36.9K €32.2K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

11.11%

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

$248 €217

$122 ฿4,110

102.76%

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

$16.95 €14.81

$13.59 ฿456

24.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.70 €31.19

$18.70 ฿628

90.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.45 €32.72

$60.5 ฿2,031

-38.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.45 €16.12

$16.98 ฿570

8.66%

Cinema Ticket

$15.72 €13.74

$9.07 ฿305

73.32%

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

$885 €773

$706 ฿23.7K

25.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,717 €7,616

$15.8K ฿530.5K

-44.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €99.2

$58.6 ฿1,965

93.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.03 €41.09

$35.36 ฿1,187

33.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €106

$115 ฿3,876

5.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 €137

$83.7 ฿2,811

87.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$775 €677

$626 ฿21.0K

23.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 €541

$445 ฿14.9K

39.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 €1,233

$2,040 ฿68.5K

-30.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €961

$1,492 ฿50.1K

-26.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,747 €3,274

$3,483 ฿116.9K

7.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,762 €2,414

$2,577 ฿86.5K

7.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

5.33

-33.40%

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

Last update for Arrest: July 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $775 in Arrest and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $71.0 in Arrest vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $289 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Arrest vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 60% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,993 in Arrest and $1,875 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $775 in Arrest versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $885 in Arrest versus $706 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Arrest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,995 in Arrest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Arrest. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Arrest, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Arrest and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Arrest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.