Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boroko and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Boroko: $868 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Boroko
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Boroko Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Boroko

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$868

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $868 per month in Boroko vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Boroko $868
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,259 per month in Boroko vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Boroko $1,259
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,649 per month in Boroko vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Boroko $1,649
Phuket $3,154

Boroko is about 32% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Boroko and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Boroko 36% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.29 PGK 31.69

$4.47 ฿151

63.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.42 PGK 150

$32.41 ฿1,094

6.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.35 PGK 23.27

$8.81 ฿297

-39.27%

Cappuccino

$2.48 PGK 10.76

$2.83 ฿95.4

-12.37%

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

$0.71 PGK 3.07

$0.87 ฿29.42

-18.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 PGK 2.78

$0.49 ฿16.66

30.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 PGK 11.23

$2.56 ฿86.3

0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 PGK 14.86

$3.68 ฿124

-7.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 PGK 6.52

$1.66 ฿56.0

-9.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 PGK 5.03

$1.46 ฿49.32

-20.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 PGK 5.03

$1.50 ฿50.5

-22.67%

Eggs

$3.55 PGK 15.41

$2.09 ฿70.5

69.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.98 PGK 21.66

$19.07 ฿643

-73.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 PGK 20.80

$3.30 ฿111

45.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.61 PGK 28.73

$10.91 ฿368

-39.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.85 PGK 16.71

$2.93 ฿98.9

31.40%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 PGK 13.38

$1.69 ฿57.0

82.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 PGK 11.80

$2.25 ฿75.8

20.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 PGK 11.75

$2.08 ฿70.1

29.81%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 PGK 12.25

$1.51 ฿51.0

86.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 PGK 3.66

$1.38 ฿46.54

-39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 PGK 4.86

$1.07 ฿35.97

4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 PGK 1.83

$0.52 ฿17.51

-19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.42 PGK 23.54

$4.20 ฿142

29.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 PGK 21.53

$18.79 ฿634

-73.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 PGK 4.67

$1.82 ฿61.5

-41.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 PGK 6.48

$2.84 ฿95.9

-47.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 PGK 1.83

$1.45 ฿49.00

-71.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.88 PGK 126

$56.7 ฿1,912

-49.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 PGK 19.12

$3.02 ฿102

45.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 PGK 5.84

$1.02 ฿34.34

31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.97 PGK 47.68

$3.69 ฿125

197.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 PGK 3.47

$1.47 ฿49.78

-45.58%

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

$35.7K PGK 155.1K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

33.29%

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

$17.6K PGK 76.5K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-34.06%

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

$61.6 PGK 268

$96.4 ฿3,252

-36.08%

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

$20.71 PGK 90.0

$11.26 ฿380

83.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.1 PGK 357

$16.85 ฿569

387.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 PGK 182

$67.2 ฿2,269

-37.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.29 PGK 62.1

$10.73 ฿362

33.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 PGK 28.10

$7.50 ฿253

-13.73%

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

$333 PGK 1,445

$476 ฿16.1K

-30.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,215 PGK 9,626

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-80.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.50 PGK 150

$62.4 ฿2,105

-44.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.91 PGK 56.1

$28.41 ฿959

-54.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.28 PGK 192

$94.3 ฿3,182

-53.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.31 PGK 114

$85.8 ฿2,896

-69.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,336 PGK 14.5K

$716 ฿24.2K

365.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$221 PGK 959

$491 ฿16.6K

-55.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,257 PGK 14.2K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

69.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 PGK 948

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-84.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$352 PGK 1,531

$502 ฿17.0K

-29.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Boroko: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boroko

$221 25.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 122% $270

Groceries & Markets

Boroko

$204 23.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 30.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boroko

$164 18.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 24.3% $40

Eating Out

Boroko

$129 14.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.9% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Boroko

$55 6.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 50.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Boroko

$53 6.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 130% $69

Getting Around

Boroko

$42 4.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 69.3% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $3,336 in Boroko versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 43% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Boroko versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $204 in Boroko vs $266 in Phuket – so Boroko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇬 Boroko

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

3 h behind Boroko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.206 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PGK – Papua New Guinean Kina Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinean Kina (K)

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.35 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.85 PGK (1 PGK = 0.206 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PGK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Boroko Phuket 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Boroko
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

Boroko vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 47% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,302 per month in Boroko and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $3,336 in Boroko.

Kindergarten costs $333 per month in Boroko and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $868 in Boroko and $1,278 in Phuket. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $868 in Boroko to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Boroko. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.