Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hua Hin and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Hua Hin: $1,043 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Hua Hin
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Hua Hin Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Hua Hin

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,043

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,043 per month in Hua Hin vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Hua Hin $1,043
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,626 per month in Hua Hin vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Hua Hin $1,626
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $2,209 per month in Hua Hin vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Hua Hin $2,209
Phuket $2,867

Hua Hin is about 14% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Hua Hin and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Hua Hin 23% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.18 ฿106

$4.58 ฿153

-30.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.88 ฿731

$32.48 ฿1,086

-32.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 ฿246

$8.55 ฿286

-13.92%

Cappuccino

$2.11 ฿70.4

$2.72 ฿91.0

-22.43%

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

$0.75 ฿25.03

$0.94 ฿31.25

-20.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.42

$0.49 ฿16.39

-24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 ฿69.0

$2.59 ฿86.6

-20.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ฿98.0

$3.83 ฿128

-23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.74 ฿58.1

-14.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 ฿42.42

$1.43 ฿47.82

-11.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.67

$1.53 ฿51.0

-16.34%

Eggs

$1.91 ฿63.8

$2.17 ฿72.7

-11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 ฿409

$19.15 ฿640

-36.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.49 ฿83.2

$3.30 ฿110

-24.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.03 ฿536

$11.14 ฿372

43.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 ฿120

$2.95 ฿98.5

21.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ฿31.57

$1.68 ฿56.1

-44.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 ฿78.7

$2.30 ฿76.8

2.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ฿52.6

$2.13 ฿71.3

-26.29%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 ฿68.3

$1.53 ฿51.1

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ฿34.97

$1.36 ฿45.55

-22.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ฿27.25

$1.12 ฿37.44

-26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿14.01

$0.55 ฿18.24

-23.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 ฿150

$4.26 ฿142

4.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.28 ฿477

$18.19 ฿608

-21.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.74 ฿58.2

-2.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿59.7

$2.79 ฿93.3

-35.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ฿14.43

$2.22 ฿74.1

-80.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$58.5 ฿1,954

$22.06 ฿737

165.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.91 ฿97.3

-18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.01 ฿33.79

56.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.83 ฿295

$3.83 ฿128

130.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.93

$1.49 ฿49.85

-4.03%

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

$16.4K ฿546.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-38.70%

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

$27.0K ฿904.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

1.26%

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

$81.5 ฿2,724

$99.4 ฿3,321

-17.97%

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

$9.12 ฿305

$11.28 ฿377

-19.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.41 ฿782

$17.36 ฿580

34.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.99 ฿1,571

$52.3 ฿1,747

-10.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.69 ฿792

$10.85 ฿362

118.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ฿214

$7.57 ฿253

-15.32%

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

$724 ฿24.2K

$558 ฿18.7K

29.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ฿362.8K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-5.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$5.96 ฿199

$62.9 ฿2,102

-90.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.01 ฿1,203

$28.58 ฿955

26.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 ฿2,366

$96.1 ฿3,213

-26.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 ฿1,783

$88.1 ฿2,943

-39.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 ฿19.3K

$729 ฿24.4K

-20.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 ฿13.2K

$460 ฿15.4K

-14.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,372 ฿45.9K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-34.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 ฿26.8K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-34.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,805 ฿60.3K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-47.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,421 ฿47.5K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-42.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$468 ฿15.6K

$493 ฿16.5K

-5.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

5.57

13.11%

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

Last update for Hua Hin: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hua Hin

$395 37.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 16.4% $65

Groceries & Markets

Hua Hin

$236 22.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 13.6% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hua Hin

$114 10.9%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 12.2% $14

Eating Out

Hua Hin

$94 9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 29.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Hua Hin

$75 7.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 66% $49

Getting Around

Hua Hin

$70 6.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 44.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Hua Hin

$60 5.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 12.7% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $579 in Hua Hin 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 5% 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 $22.00 in Hua Hin versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $268 – making Hua Hin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Hua Hin

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

Same time as Hua Hin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,169

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

Hua Hin Phuket 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hua Hin
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

Hua Hin vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 16% more than Hua Hin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,565 per month in Hua Hin and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hua Hin, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,043 in Hua Hin and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 16%.

Public transport costs about 165% less in Hua Hin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hua Hin, where all-in costs run around $1,043, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Hua Hin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hua Hin costs $1,043 versus $1,207 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Hua Hin. 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.