Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bang Kruai and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bang Kruai: $905 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Bang Kruai
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Bang Kruai Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bang Kruai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$905

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bang Kruai 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 Bang Kruai and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $905 in Bang Kruai versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Bang Kruai $905
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,477 in Bang Kruai versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Bang Kruai $1,477
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,049 in Bang Kruai versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Bang Kruai $2,049
Phuket $3,115

Living in Bang Kruai costs roughly 30% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bang Kruai 33% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ฿102

$4.39 ฿148

-31.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.12 ฿1,219

$32.31 ฿1,090

11.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 ฿247

$8.70 ฿294

-15.98%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ฿93.1

$2.72 ฿91.9

1.47%

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

$0.69 ฿23.42

$0.93 ฿31.39

-25.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.93

$0.50 ฿16.85

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ฿71.5

$2.53 ฿85.4

-16.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 ฿143

$3.63 ฿122

17.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.74 ฿58.7

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ฿44.50

$1.45 ฿48.95

-8.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.07

$1.50 ฿50.7

-14.67%

Eggs

$1.86 ฿62.8

$2.17 ฿73.3

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.55 ฿424

$19.09 ฿644

-34.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ฿84.9

$3.40 ฿115

-25.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 ฿350

$10.90 ฿368

-4.77%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 ฿122

$2.94 ฿99.2

22.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿34.06

$1.69 ฿57.1

-40.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 ฿79.8

$2.19 ฿74.0

8.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ฿55.3

$2.12 ฿71.7

-22.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.4

$1.46 ฿49.21

16.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.86

$1.37 ฿46.15

-24.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ฿27.67

$1.08 ฿36.30

-24.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.21

$0.55 ฿18.41

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿149

$4.43 ฿149

-0.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.24 ฿481

$18.25 ฿616

-21.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ฿56.7

$1.77 ฿59.8

-5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿60.3

$2.88 ฿97.2

-37.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ฿27.87

$1.45 ฿48.84

-42.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ฿34.35

$1.51 ฿51.0

-32.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.78 ฿26.18

48.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 ฿203

$3.84 ฿130

56.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.65

$1.49 ฿50.2

-3.36%

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

$16.4K ฿553.7K

$26.9K ฿907.0K

-38.95%

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

$26.5K ฿894.3K

$26.3K ฿888.9K

0.60%

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

$83.5 ฿2,818

$97.8 ฿3,300

-14.60%

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

$9.43 ฿318

$11.29 ฿381

-16.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.12 ฿611

$17.19 ฿580

5.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 ฿1,753

$68.3 ฿2,305

-23.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.22 ฿446

$10.92 ฿368

21.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 ฿221

$7.43 ฿251

-11.71%

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

$725 ฿24.5K

$530 ฿17.9K

36.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿526.4K

$18.8K ฿633.7K

-16.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$6.02 ฿203

$61.7 ฿2,081

-90.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 ฿1,177

$28.25 ฿953

23.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 ฿2,435

$96.0 ฿3,239

-24.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.4 ฿1,802

$86.8 ฿2,929

-38.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$463 ฿15.6K

$721 ฿24.3K

-35.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ฿10.9K

$509 ฿17.2K

-36.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,154 ฿38.9K

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-40.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 ฿24.3K

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-48.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,928 ฿65.1K

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-54.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,755 ฿59.2K

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-46.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Bang Kruai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bang Kruai

$322 35.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 58.2% $187

Groceries & Markets

Bang Kruai

$220 24.3%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 21.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bang Kruai

$111 12.3%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 13.7% $15

Eating Out

Bang Kruai

$102 11.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 16.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Bang Kruai

$75 8.3%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 63.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Bang Kruai

$65 7.2%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 27.8% $18

Getting Around

Bang Kruai

$10 * 1.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 554% $56

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $463 in Bang Kruai and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Bang Kruai vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $220 vs $267, with Bang Kruai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bang Kruai

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:35 8:35 AM

Same time as Bang Kruai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,453

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bang Kruai Phuket 700 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bang Kruai
Phuket

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

Bang Kruai vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bang Kruai is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in transport, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,357 in Bang Kruai and $1,940 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: $463 in Bang Kruai versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $725 in Bang Kruai versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $36 in Bang Kruai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $905 in Bang Kruai versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bang Kruai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bang Kruai 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, Bang Kruai and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.