Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hat Yai and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $733 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Hat Yai
Learn more

Hat Yai Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$733

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $733 in Hat Yai versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Hat Yai $733
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,306 in Hat Yai versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Hat Yai $1,306
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,880 in Hat Yai versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Hat Yai $1,880
Phuket $3,154

Living in Hat Yai costs roughly 43% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hat Yai 46% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ฿102

$4.47 ฿151

-32.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.53 ฿1,538

$32.41 ฿1,094

40.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.65 ฿123

$8.81 ฿297

-58.57%

Cappuccino

$2.80 ฿94.6

$2.83 ฿95.5

-1.06%

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

$1.27 ฿42.80

$0.87 ฿29.43

45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.99

$0.49 ฿16.67

8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.56 ฿86.4

-30.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ฿123

$3.68 ฿124

-0.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.66 ฿56.0

-12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ฿40.01

$1.46 ฿49.35

-19.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.24

$1.50 ฿50.6

-14.67%

Eggs

$2.48 ฿83.6

$2.09 ฿70.5

18.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.28 ฿752

$19.07 ฿644

16.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.24 ฿75.8

$3.30 ฿111

-32.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.20 ฿378

$10.91 ฿368

2.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.93 ฿99.0

-12.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.49

$1.69 ฿57.1

-14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 ฿63.6

$2.25 ฿75.8

-16.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 ฿66.4

$2.08 ฿70.1

-5.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.2

$1.51 ฿51.0

0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ฿34.53

$1.38 ฿46.56

-26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.41

$1.07 ฿35.99

3.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.79

$0.52 ฿17.52

-21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 ฿145

$4.20 ฿142

2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 ฿512

$18.79 ฿634

-19.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.8

$1.82 ฿61.5

-4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ฿63.9

$2.84 ฿95.9

-33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ฿19.75

$1.45 ฿49.03

-60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.78

$3.02 ฿102

-59.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ฿38.48

$1.02 ฿34.36

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 ฿205

$3.69 ฿125

65.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿45.78

$1.47 ฿49.81

-7.48%

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

$18.5K ฿623.8K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-31.02%

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

$43.9K ฿1.5M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

64.49%

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

$83.6 ฿2,822

$96.4 ฿3,254

-13.25%

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

$11.67 ฿394

$11.26 ฿380

3.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.49 ฿320

$16.85 ฿569

-43.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 ฿1,596

$67.2 ฿2,270

-29.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.15 ฿444

$10.73 ฿362

22.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.08 ฿239

$7.50 ฿253

-5.60%

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

$564 ฿19.1K

$476 ฿16.1K

18.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ฿369.1K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-2.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.35 ฿1,261

$62.4 ฿2,106

-40.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.28 ฿921

$28.41 ฿959

-3.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ฿2,398

$94.3 ฿3,184

-24.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 ฿3,240

$85.8 ฿2,898

11.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ฿8,999

$716 ฿24.2K

-62.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 ฿3,748

$491 ฿16.6K

-77.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ฿24.7K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-62.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 ฿13.4K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-72.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,933 ฿65.3K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-53.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,469 ฿49.6K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-51.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$460 ฿15.5K

$502 ฿17.0K

-8.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

5.57

14.18%

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

Last update for Hat Yai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hat Yai

$251 34.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 6.2% $16

Accommodation & Living

Hat Yai

$111 15.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 342% $380

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hat Yai

$105 14.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 18.8% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Hat Yai

$104 14.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 17% $18

Eating Out

Hat Yai

$92 12.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 32.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Hat Yai

$61 8.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 33.9% $21

Getting Around

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 664% $61

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 $266 in Hat Yai and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 9% 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: $46 in Hat Yai vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $251 vs $266, with Hat Yai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

Same time as Hat Yai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,802

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hat Yai Phuket 250 km

From you

Hat Yai
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

Hat Yai vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hat Yai wins on cost – living expenses run 43% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hat Yai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Hat Yai. 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: $266 in Hat Yai versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $564 in Hat Yai versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $46 in Hat Yai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Hat Yai 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.

It comes down to priorities – Hat Yai wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.