Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cha-am and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Cha-am: $871 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 Cha-am
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Cha-am Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$871

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $871 in Cha-am versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Cha-am $871
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,405 in Cha-am versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Cha-am $1,405
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,940 in Cha-am versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Cha-am $1,940
Phuket $3,154

Living in Cha-am costs roughly 32% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cha-am 36% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ฿101

$4.47 ฿151

-33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.18 ฿748

$32.41 ฿1,093

-31.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ฿248

$8.81 ฿297

-16.57%

Cappuccino

$2.01 ฿68.0

$2.83 ฿95.4

-28.98%

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

$0.69 ฿23.32

$0.87 ฿29.41

-20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.68

$0.49 ฿16.65

-28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿82.3

$2.56 ฿86.3

-4.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.68 ฿124

-20.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$1.66 ฿55.9

4.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.72

$1.46 ฿49.31

0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.90

$1.50 ฿50.5

-11.33%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿63.2

$2.09 ฿70.5

-10.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 ฿418

$19.07 ฿643

-35.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.53 ฿85.2

$3.30 ฿111

-23.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 ฿336

$10.91 ฿368

-8.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ฿114

$2.93 ฿98.9

15.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.98

$1.69 ฿57.0

-28.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ฿64.0

$2.25 ฿75.8

-15.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$2.08 ฿70.0

-12.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.51 ฿51.0

15.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ฿36.59

$1.38 ฿46.52

-21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ฿40.49

$1.07 ฿35.96

12.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.80

$0.52 ฿17.51

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$4.20 ฿142

1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$18.79 ฿634

-4.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.82 ฿61.5

-8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ฿96.5

$2.84 ฿95.8

0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ฿30.59

$1.45 ฿48.98

-37.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.60 ฿762

$56.7 ฿1,912

-60.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ฿45.25

$3.02 ฿102

-55.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿36.46

$1.02 ฿34.33

5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 ฿122

$3.69 ฿125

-2.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ฿46.37

$1.47 ฿49.76

-6.80%

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

$16.3K ฿551.1K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-39.00%

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

$26.5K ฿892.6K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-0.89%

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

$80.9 ฿2,730

$96.4 ฿3,251

-16.02%

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

$11.74 ฿396

$11.26 ฿380

4.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.19 ฿782

$16.85 ฿568

37.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.97 ฿809

$67.2 ฿2,268

-64.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.88 ฿198

$10.73 ฿362

-45.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.70 ฿226

$7.50 ฿253

-10.67%

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

$615 ฿20.8K

$476 ฿16.1K

29.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ฿358.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-5.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 ฿1,720

$62.4 ฿2,104

-18.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.67 ฿967

$28.41 ฿958

0.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 ฿2,436

$94.3 ฿3,181

-23.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.1 ฿1,790

$85.8 ฿2,895

-38.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 ฿12.4K

$716 ฿24.2K

-48.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ฿9,012

$491 ฿16.6K

-45.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ฿25.4K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-60.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 ฿22.0K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-54.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 ฿12.2K

$502 ฿16.9K

-28.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.57

7.00%

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

Last update for Cha-am: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cha-am

$267 30.7%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 83.8% $224

Groceries & Markets

Cha-am

$233 26.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 14.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cha-am

$116 13.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 7.4% $8.6

Eating Out

Cha-am

$92 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 31.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Cha-am

$92 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 32.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cha-am

$37 4.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 120% $45

Getting Around

Cha-am

$33 3.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 114% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $368 in Cha-am and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 39% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $22 in Cha-am vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $266 per month, with Cha-am cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:39 7:39 AM

Same time as Cha-am

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,354

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

Cha-am Phuket 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cha-am
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

Cha-am vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $871 in Cha-am and $1,278 in Phuket, so Cha-am is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 28% lower in Cha-am. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $368 in Cha-am versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $871 per month in Cha-am versus $1,278 in Phuket – Cha-am is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cha-am runs roughly 60% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $871 in Cha-am versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cha-am but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Cha-am 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, Cha-am and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Cha-am gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.