Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chanthaburi and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Chanthaburi: $980 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Chanthaburi
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Chanthaburi Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Chanthaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$980

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $980 in Chanthaburi versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Chanthaburi $980
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,577 in Chanthaburi versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Chanthaburi $1,577
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,174 in Chanthaburi versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Chanthaburi $2,174
Phuket $3,115

Living in Chanthaburi costs roughly 24% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chanthaburi 28% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.21 ฿40.53

$4.39 ฿147

-72.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.94 ฿1,274

$32.31 ฿1,085

17.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.29 ฿245

$8.70 ฿292

-16.21%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ฿51.1

$2.72 ฿91.5

-44.12%

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

$0.55 ฿18.48

$0.93 ฿31.25

-40.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.69

$0.50 ฿16.78

-42.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.67 ฿56.1

$2.53 ฿85.0

-33.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 ฿153

$3.63 ฿122

25.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.74 ฿58.4

-14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ฿51.0

$1.45 ฿48.73

4.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ฿30.47

$1.50 ฿50.5

-39.33%

Eggs

$2.15 ฿72.2

$2.17 ฿73.0

-0.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.14 ฿576

$19.09 ฿641

-10.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 ฿130

$3.40 ฿114

14.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.74 ฿428

$10.90 ฿366

16.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 ฿126

$2.94 ฿98.8

27.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 ฿57.3

$1.69 ฿56.8

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ฿93.9

$2.19 ฿73.7

27.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 ฿63.7

$2.12 ฿71.4

-10.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ฿40.05

$1.46 ฿48.99

-18.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.98

$1.37 ฿45.95

8.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ฿41.34

$1.08 ฿36.14

13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.08

$0.55 ฿18.32

-12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 ฿158

$4.43 ฿149

5.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.57 ฿490

$18.25 ฿613

-20.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.77 ฿59.5

-4.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ฿111

$2.88 ฿96.8

14.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 ฿28.09

$1.45 ฿48.62

-42.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 ฿2,978

$54.9 ฿1,844

61.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ฿34.20

$1.51 ฿50.8

-32.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.64

$0.78 ฿26.06

35.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 ฿197

$3.84 ฿129

52.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ฿39.78

$1.49 ฿49.96

-20.81%

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

$31.7K ฿1.1M

$26.9K ฿902.9K

17.82%

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

$23.3K ฿783.2K

$26.3K ฿884.9K

-11.49%

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

$99.2 ฿3,331

$97.8 ฿3,285

1.38%

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

$3.57 ฿120

$11.29 ฿379

-68.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ฿353

$17.19 ฿577

-38.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.62 ฿1,667

$68.3 ฿2,295

-27.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.05 ฿438

$10.92 ฿367

19.51%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ฿183

$7.43 ฿250

-26.51%

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

$816 ฿27.4K

$530 ฿17.8K

53.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K ฿520.6K

$18.8K ฿630.9K

-17.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$7.28 ฿245

$61.7 ฿2,072

-88.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.11 ฿1,213

$28.25 ฿949

27.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 ฿2,250

$96.0 ฿3,225

-30.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.53 ฿690

$86.8 ฿2,916

-76.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.7K

$721 ฿24.2K

-39.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ฿10.6K

$509 ฿17.1K

-38.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 ฿36.5K

$1,950 ฿65.5K

-44.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 ฿22.5K

$1,397 ฿46.9K

-52.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,184 ฿73.4K

$4,192 ฿140.8K

-47.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,860 ฿62.5K

$3,298 ฿110.8K

-43.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

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 Chanthaburi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chanthaburi

$315 32.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 61.3% $193

Groceries & Markets

Chanthaburi

$262 26.8%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 1.7% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chanthaburi

$113 11.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 11.5% $13

Getting Around

Chanthaburi

$98 10%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 32.8% $32

Eating Out

Chanthaburi

$71 7.2%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 69.3% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chanthaburi

$61 6.2%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 37.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Chanthaburi

$59 6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 108% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $437 in Chanthaburi and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Chanthaburi vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $262 vs $267, with Chanthaburi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chanthaburi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:16 2:16 PM

Same time as Chanthaburi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,602

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chanthaburi Phuket 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chanthaburi
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

Chanthaburi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $980 in Chanthaburi and $1,294 in Phuket, so Chanthaburi is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,469 in Chanthaburi 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: $437 in Chanthaburi versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 38% less than in Chanthaburi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $980 per month in Chanthaburi versus $1,294 in Phuket – Chanthaburi is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $980 in Chanthaburi versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Chanthaburi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Chanthaburi 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, Chanthaburi and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.