Cost of Living Comparison Between Bra and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Bra and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,660 in Bra versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,520 in Bra versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Bra versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Bra is roughly 33% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bra is 24% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.79 €19.96

$4.55 ฿153

400.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.26 €36.13

$46.18 ฿1,553

-10.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.65 €10.20

$8.84 ฿297

31.79%

Cappuccino

$1.66 €1.45

$3.06 ฿103

-45.75%

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

$3.28 €2.88

$0.73 ฿24.40

349.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.24

$0.40 ฿13.39

255.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €4.98

$2.43 ฿81.8

133.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 €4.13

$3.78 ฿127

24.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.43

$2.26 ฿76.0

-27.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.64 €2.31

$1.81 ฿60.9

45.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 €2.36

$2.25 ฿75.8

19.56%

Eggs

$3.37 €2.95

$2.25 ฿75.5

49.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.21 €11.57

$19.51 ฿656

-32.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.80 €10.33

$3.65 ฿123

223.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.39 €16.98

$13.05 ฿439

48.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.08

$3.23 ฿109

-26.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.92

$1.62 ฿54.4

35.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 €2.01

$2.38 ฿80.1

-3.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 €2.99

$2.03 ฿68.1

68.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.51

$1.53 ฿51.6

12.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.54

$1.50 ฿50.5

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €0.99

$0.98 ฿32.91

15.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.63

$0.52 ฿17.39

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.04 €6.16

$4.44 ฿149

58.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.31 €5.53

$18.32 ฿616

-65.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.54

$1.86 ฿62.7

-5.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €1.96

$2.68 ฿90.1

-16.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 €1.56

$1.41 ฿47.46

26.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.52 €40.75

$11.70 ฿393

297.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.06 €7.06

$3.11 ฿105

159.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 €1.33

$1.04 ฿35.06

46.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.51 €10.08

$14.11 ฿474

-18.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.76

$1.31 ฿44.10

53.44%

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

$27.4K €24.0K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

-1.46%

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

$24.7K €21.6K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

-25.71%

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

$103 €89.9

$122 ฿4,118

-16.16%

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

$10.29 €9.01

$13.59 ฿457

-24.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.39 €25.74

$18.70 ฿629

57.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 €61.4

$60.5 ฿2,034

15.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.02 €20.16

$16.98 ฿571

35.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 €8.79

$9.07 ฿305

10.69%

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

$117 €102

$706 ฿23.8K

-83.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K €14.3K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

3.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 €102

$58.6 ฿1,969

98.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 €47.82

$35.36 ฿1,189

54.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €99.6

$115 ฿3,883

-1.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €120

$83.7 ฿2,816

64.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 €604

$626 ฿21.0K

10.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$575 €504

$445 ฿15.0K

29.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,225 €1,073

$2,040 ฿68.6K

-39.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 €800

$1,492 ฿50.2K

-38.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,960 €2,593

$3,483 ฿117.1K

-15.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,040 €1,787

$2,577 ฿86.7K

-20.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

-43.71%

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

Last update for Bra: July 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Bra and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $41.00 in Bra vs $46.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $323 vs $289, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

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

Bra vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Bra. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,490 in Bra 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: $690 in Bra versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $117 in Bra 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 12% higher in Bra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,660 in Bra, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Bra. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,250 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bra 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 33% less than in Bra. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.