Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chon Buri and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Chon Buri: $814 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Chon Buri
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Chon Buri Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Chon Buri

🇹🇭 Thailand

$814

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $814 in Chon Buri versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Chon Buri $814
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,358 in Chon Buri versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Chon Buri $1,358
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,903 in Chon Buri versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Chon Buri $1,903
Phuket $2,845

Living in Chon Buri costs roughly 33% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chon Buri 40% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.88 ฿63.0

$4.40 ฿147

-57.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.18 ฿541

$32.26 ฿1,078

-49.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 ฿256

$8.76 ฿293

-12.44%

Cappuccino

$1.77 ฿59.1

$2.83 ฿94.5

-37.46%

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

$0.74 ฿24.75

$0.90 ฿30.14

-17.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.60

$0.47 ฿15.56

-25.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$2.55 ฿85.2

-30.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿96.8

$3.83 ฿128

-24.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.76

$1.73 ฿57.7

-13.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 ฿43.31

$1.47 ฿49.11

-11.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.78

$1.51 ฿50.6

-19.21%

Eggs

$1.92 ฿64.2

$2.17 ฿72.7

-11.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.38 ฿414

$19.70 ฿658

-37.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.44 ฿81.5

$3.34 ฿112

-26.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.33 ฿345

$11.16 ฿373

-7.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 ฿119

$2.85 ฿95.1

24.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 ฿31.14

$1.70 ฿56.9

-45.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ฿81.9

$2.19 ฿73.3

11.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.05 ฿68.4

-20.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 ฿66.5

$1.45 ฿48.57

37.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.38 ฿46.16

-24.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ฿25.22

$1.07 ฿35.69

-29.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.01

$0.51 ฿16.91

-11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿146

$4.26 ฿142

2.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.97 ฿467

$18.58 ฿621

-24.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿53.8

$1.78 ฿59.7

-9.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿60.2

$2.85 ฿95.2

-36.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 ฿33.10

$2.26 ฿75.6

-56.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.3

$3.01 ฿101

-23.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$1.06 ฿35.34

43.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 ฿204

$3.86 ฿129

58.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿44.07

$1.45 ฿48.45

-8.97%

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

$26.6K ฿889.2K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

1.06%

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

$22.2K ฿743.1K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-17.47%

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

$83.6 ฿2,795

$96.4 ฿3,221

-13.24%

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

$9.07 ฿303

$11.04 ฿369

-17.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.73 ฿793

$17.14 ฿573

38.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.24 ฿1,545

$52.2 ฿1,744

-11.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.98 ฿467

$11.16 ฿373

25.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.56 ฿219

$7.81 ฿261

-16.01%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$556 ฿18.6K

30.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ฿367.4K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-5.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$6.05 ฿202

$64.2 ฿2,146

-90.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.20 ฿1,210

$28.69 ฿959

26.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.8 ฿2,431

$95.4 ฿3,187

-23.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ฿1,828

$88.0 ฿2,940

-37.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 ฿17.8K

$737 ฿24.6K

-27.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ฿8,398

$462 ฿15.5K

-45.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 ฿36.6K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-47.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-39.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,662 ฿55.6K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-52.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,462 ฿48.9K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-42.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.7K

$501 ฿16.7K

17.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-46.14%

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

Last update for Chon Buri: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chon Buri

$251 30.9%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 84% $211

Groceries & Markets

Chon Buri

$218 26.8%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 23.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chon Buri

$116 14.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 7% $8.1

Eating Out

Chon Buri

$78 9.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 54.8% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chon Buri

$76 9.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 62.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chon Buri

$59 7.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 14.2% $8.4

Getting Around

Chon Buri

$14 * 1.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 184% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $531 in Chon Buri and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chon Buri pays 18% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16.00 in Chon Buri vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $269 per month, with Chon Buri cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chon Buri

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

Same time as Chon Buri

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,364

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chon Buri Phuket 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chon Buri
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

Chon Buri vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chon Buri wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chon Buri the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 18% higher in Chon Buri, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $531 in Chon Buri versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Chon Buri versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chon Buri – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $814 in Chon Buri versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chon Buri but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Chon Buri the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chon Buri delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $814 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chon Buri hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chon Buri 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 Chon Buri gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.