Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buriram and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Buriram: $929 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Buriram
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Buriram Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Buriram

🇹🇭 Thailand

$929

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $929 per month in Buriram vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Buriram $929
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,448 per month in Buriram vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Buriram $1,448
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,966 per month in Buriram vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Buriram $1,966
Phuket $3,115

Buriram is about 28% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Buriram and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Buriram 31% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.52 ฿51.4

$4.39 ฿148

-65.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.37 ฿889

$32.31 ฿1,090

-18.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.54 ฿288

$8.70 ฿294

-1.84%

Cappuccino

$1.35 ฿45.53

$2.72 ฿91.9

-50.37%

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

$0.42 ฿14.30

$0.93 ฿31.38

-54.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ฿8.84

$0.50 ฿16.85

-48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 ฿61.2

$2.53 ฿85.4

-28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 ฿136

$3.63 ฿122

11.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 ฿61.8

$1.74 ฿58.7

5.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 ฿45.98

$1.45 ฿48.93

-6.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 ฿41.30

$1.50 ฿50.7

-18.67%

Eggs

$2.14 ฿72.2

$2.17 ฿73.3

-1.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 ฿589

$19.09 ฿644

-8.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.8

$3.40 ฿115

-29.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.40 ฿384

$10.90 ฿368

4.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.0

$2.94 ฿99.2

-6.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.26

$1.69 ฿57.1

-34.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 ฿83.1

$2.19 ฿74.0

12.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 ฿62.4

$2.12 ฿71.6

-12.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.7

$1.46 ฿49.19

4.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ฿38.57

$1.37 ฿46.14

-16.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 ฿31.96

$1.08 ฿36.29

-12.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.91

$0.55 ฿18.40

-3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.24 ฿143

$4.43 ฿149

-4.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 ฿519

$18.25 ฿616

-15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.77 ฿59.8

-4.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.9

$2.88 ฿97.2

-0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.75

$1.45 ฿48.82

-41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 ฿38.27

$1.51 ฿51.0

-25.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿33.40

$0.78 ฿26.17

26.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.43 ฿183

$3.84 ฿129

41.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ฿46.49

$1.49 ฿50.2

-7.38%

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

$24.6K ฿828.1K

$26.9K ฿906.7K

-8.67%

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

$23.8K ฿803.9K

$26.3K ฿888.6K

-9.54%

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

$89.5 ฿3,018

$97.8 ฿3,299

-8.52%

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

$11.74 ฿396

$11.29 ฿381

3.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.39 ฿722

$17.19 ฿580

24.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.97 ฿1,483

$68.3 ฿2,305

-35.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 ฿407

$10.92 ฿368

10.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.71 ฿193

$7.43 ฿251

-23.15%

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

$603 ฿20.4K

$530 ฿17.9K

13.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ฿586.0K

$18.8K ฿633.5K

-7.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 ฿1,864

$61.7 ฿2,080

-10.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.20 ฿884

$28.25 ฿953

-7.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 ฿2,896

$96.0 ฿3,238

-10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 ฿2,817

$86.8 ฿2,928

-3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ฿15.1K

$721 ฿24.3K

-38.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$509 ฿17.2K

-39.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 ฿41.6K

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-36.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 ฿20.6K

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-56.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,911 ฿64.5K

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-54.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,591 ฿53.7K

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-51.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Buriram: 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

Buriram

$310 33.3%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 64.4% $199

Groceries & Markets

Buriram

$246 26.4%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 8.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buriram

$123 13.2%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 3% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Buriram

$113 12.1%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 8.7% $9.9

Eating Out

Buriram

$74 8%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 61.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Buriram

$55 6%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 50.2% $28

Getting Around

Buriram

$9.5 * 1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 596% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $447 in Buriram versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Buriram versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $267 – making Buriram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Buriram

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

Same time as Buriram

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,333

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

Buriram Phuket 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Buriram
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

Buriram vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,394 per month in Buriram and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buriram, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $447 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $929 in Buriram and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Buriram about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $603 per month in Buriram and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $929 in Buriram to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.