Cost of Living Comparison Between Gizo and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Gizo and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,098 in Gizo versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,983 in Gizo versus $2,255 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,868 in Gizo versus $3,279 in Phuket.

Living in Gizo is roughly 70% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gizo is 57% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 SBD 24.37

$4.63 ฿151

-34.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 SBD 439

$46.84 ฿1,523

17.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.02 SBD 120

$8.84 ฿287

69.91%

Cappuccino

$2.77 SBD 22.20

$3.00 ฿97.4

-7.67%

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

$1.17 SBD 9.36

$0.74 ฿24.11

58.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 SBD 9.47

$0.37 ฿11.88

218.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 SBD 19.36

$2.44 ฿79.3

-0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 SBD 18.80

$3.61 ฿117

-34.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 SBD 24.36

$2.26 ฿73.5

34.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 SBD 10.40

$1.84 ฿59.8

-29.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 SBD 10.91

$2.24 ฿73.0

-39.29%

Eggs

$6.80 SBD 54.4

$2.32 ฿75.3

193.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.17 SBD 65.4

$19.67 ฿639

-58.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.95 SBD 47.61

$3.65 ฿119

63.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.46 SBD 67.7

$13.10 ฿426

-35.42%

Apples (1kg)

$6.78 SBD 54.2

$3.39 ฿110

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$6.09 SBD 48.73

$1.64 ฿53.4

271.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.04 SBD 48.34

$2.41 ฿78.5

150.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 SBD 24.56

$2.03 ฿66.0

51.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.91 SBD 23.29

$1.56 ฿50.6

86.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 SBD 19.60

$1.50 ฿48.66

63.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 SBD 19.53

$1.02 ฿33.30

139.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 SBD 10.36

$0.49 ฿15.91

163.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 SBD 32.62

$4.45 ฿145

-8.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.37 SBD 99.0

$18.88 ฿614

-34.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 SBD 14.78

$1.78 ฿57.7

3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 SBD 17.18

$2.75 ฿89.5

-21.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.02

$1.40 ฿45.54

-72.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.38 SBD 243

$11.48 ฿373

164.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 SBD 9.49

$3.12 ฿101

-61.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 SBD 18.49

$1.00 ฿32.48

131.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.75 SBD 94.0

$14.09 ฿458

-16.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 SBD 13.68

$1.35 ฿43.93

26.67%

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

$20.3K SBD 162.7K

$27.2K ฿883.7K

-25.18%

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

$21.4K SBD 171.1K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

-35.05%

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

$711 SBD 5,687

$125 ฿4,063

468.80%

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

$12.98 SBD 104

$13.57 ฿441

-4.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$122 SBD 977

$18.52 ฿602

559.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.05 SBD 144

$61.5 ฿1,999

-70.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.02 SBD 48.18

$16.84 ฿547

-64.25%

Cinema Ticket

$4.08 SBD 32.62

$9.19 ฿299

-55.60%

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

$120 SBD 962

$698 ฿22.7K

-82.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,200 SBD 9,601

$15.6K ฿506.9K

-92.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.40 SBD 195

$57.8 ฿1,878

-57.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$89.7 SBD 718

$35.24 ฿1,146

154.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 SBD 778

$113 ฿3,677

-14.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.6 SBD 677

$86.4 ฿2,808

-2.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 SBD 4,655

$616 ฿20.0K

-5.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 SBD 4,480

$446 ฿14.5K

25.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 SBD 4,786

$2,048 ฿66.6K

-70.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 SBD 9,773

$1,492 ฿48.5K

-18.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$88.6K SBD 709.0K

$3,779 ฿122.8K

2245.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$395 SBD 3,159

$524 ฿17.0K

-24.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.33

5.33

206.38%

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

Last update for Gizo: April 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Gizo and $616 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $55.0 in Gizo vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $343 vs $292 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Gizo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 70% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, Phuket earns 33% less. 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: $582 in Gizo versus $616 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $55.0 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $2,098 in Gizo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Gizo. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,232 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gizo 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Gizo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.