Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chittagong and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Chittagong: $371 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chittagong
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
$371
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $371 per month in Chittagong vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Chittagong $371
  • Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $626 per month in Chittagong vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Chittagong $626
  • Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $881 per month in Chittagong vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Chittagong $881
  • Phuket $2,867

Chittagong is about 69% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chittagong and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Chittagong 73% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chittagong
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.08 ৳257
$4.58 ฿153
-54.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.17 ৳1,503
$32.48 ฿1,086
-62.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.37 ৳664
$8.55 ฿286
-37.19%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 ৳323
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18 ৳516
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.94 ৳239
$2.72 ฿91.0
-28.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ৳48.92
$0.94 ฿31.25
-57.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.11 ৳13.77
$0.49 ฿16.39
-77.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.59 ฿86.6
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.83 ฿128
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chittagong
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.75 ৳93.0
$1.74 ฿58.1
-56.90%
White Bread (500g)
$0.60 ৳73.9
$1.43 ฿47.82
-58.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.63 ৳77.6
$1.53 ฿51.0
-58.82%
Eggs
$1.16 ৳144
$2.17 ฿72.7
-46.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.21 ৳891
$19.15 ฿640
-62.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.03 ৳251
$3.30 ฿110
-38.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.22 ৳892
$11.14 ฿372
-35.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ৳291
$2.95 ฿98.5
-20.34%
Banana (1kg)
$0.84 ৳104
$1.68 ฿56.1
-50.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.06 ৳255
$2.30 ฿76.8
-10.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.86 ৳106
$2.13 ฿71.3
-59.62%
Potato (1kg)
$0.44 ৳54.3
$1.53 ฿51.1
-71.24%
Onion (1kg)
$0.78 ৳96.9
$1.36 ฿45.55
-42.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.49 ৳60.7
$1.12 ฿37.44
-56.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.32 ৳39.89
$0.55 ฿18.24
-41.82%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$4.38 ৳541
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 ৳104
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 ৳183
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 ৳376
$4.26 ฿142
-28.64%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$18.19 ฿608
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.74 ฿58.2
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.79 ฿93.3
-
🚌 Getting Around
Chittagong
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.21 ৳25.83
$2.22 ฿74.1
-90.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$22.06 ฿737
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.80 ৳98.7
$2.91 ฿97.3
-72.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.58 ৳72.1
$1.01 ฿33.79
-42.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.94 ৳487
$3.83 ฿128
2.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ৳142
$1.49 ฿49.85
-22.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.0K ৳4.0M
$26.7K ฿891.6K
20.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$45.5K ৳5.6M
$26.7K ฿892.7K
70.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chittagong
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$30.32 ৳3,746
$99.4 ฿3,321
-69.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.57 ৳689
$11.28 ฿377
-50.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.57 ৳1,553
$17.36 ฿580
-27.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chittagong
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$19.87 ৳2,455
$52.3 ฿1,747
-62.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.88 ৳1,714
$10.85 ฿362
27.93%
Cinema Ticket
$3.68 ৳455
$7.57 ฿253
-51.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chittagong
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$36.24 ৳4,478
$558 ฿18.7K
-93.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,444 ৳178.4K
$11.5K ฿383.9K
-87.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chittagong
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.22 ৳2,869
$62.9 ฿2,102
-63.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.79 ৳2,445
$28.58 ฿955
-30.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$57.1 ৳7,053
$96.1 ฿3,213
-40.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$34.68 ৳4,285
$88.1 ฿2,943
-60.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chittagong
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$124 ৳15.3K
$729 ฿24.4K
-82.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$60.0 ৳7,418
$460 ฿15.4K
-86.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$268 ৳33.1K
$2,096 ฿70.0K
-87.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$163 ৳20.1K
$1,222 ฿40.8K
-86.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$782 ৳96.7K
$3,459 ฿115.6K
-77.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$462 ৳57.1K
$2,489 ฿83.2K
-81.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chittagong
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$281 ৳34.7K
$493 ฿16.5K
-43.07%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.5
5.57
106.46%

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

Last update for Chittagong: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Chittagong
$112
Phuket
$268 139% $155
Clothing & Footwear
Chittagong
$61
Phuket
$124 105% $63
Accommodation & Living
Chittagong
$60
Phuket
$460 666% $400
Eating Out
Chittagong
$58
Phuket
$121 109% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chittagong
$48
Phuket
$128 164% $80
Sport & Entertainment
Chittagong
$27
Phuket
$67 148% $40
Getting Around
Chittagong
$4.6 *
Phuket
$39 755% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $124 in Chittagong versus $729 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 76% 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 $12.00 in Chittagong versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $112 vs $268 – making Chittagong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇩 Chittagong
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
01:00 1:00 AM
02:00 2:00 AM
1 h ahead of Chittagong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,592,439
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chittagong Phuket 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Chittagong
  • 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
Chittagong vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Chittagong and in Phuket compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $371 in Chittagong, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 225% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Chittagong compared to Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $557 per month in Chittagong and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Chittagong and Phuket?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chittagong, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $12.00 in Chittagong and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 138% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chittagong, where all-in costs run around $371, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Chittagong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Chittagong and Phuket?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $371 in Chittagong to $1,207 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Chittagong or Phuket safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Chittagong and Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Chittagong. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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