Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Kingston and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,451 in Kingston versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,475 in Kingston versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,498 in Kingston versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Kingston is roughly 15% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 8% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 JMD 1,192

$4.70 ฿153

61.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.0 JMD 9,707

$45.37 ฿1,482

36.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 JMD 1,379

$8.43 ฿275

4.39%

Cappuccino

$4.36 JMD 682

$2.93 ฿95.6

48.81%

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

$1.32 JMD 207

$0.69 ฿22.40

91.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.37 ฿11.99

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 JMD 403

$2.41 ฿78.6

6.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 JMD 501

$3.72 ฿122

-13.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.36 JMD 684

$2.23 ฿72.9

95.52%

White Bread (500g)

$3.66 JMD 573

$1.83 ฿59.8

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 JMD 246

$2.17 ฿70.8

-27.65%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 543

$2.21 ฿72.3

57.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 JMD 1,754

$19.74 ฿645

-43.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.42 JMD 1,007

$3.63 ฿119

76.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.82 JMD 1,225

$13.53 ฿442

-42.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.96 JMD 933

$3.28 ฿107

81.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 JMD 491

$1.61 ฿52.6

94.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 JMD 673

$2.41 ฿78.6

78.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.96 JMD 464

$2.08 ฿68.1

42.31%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 JMD 317

$1.53 ฿49.93

32.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 JMD 315

$1.48 ฿48.36

35.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.12 JMD 489

$0.99 ฿32.29

215.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 227

$0.51 ฿16.67

184.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.89 JMD 1,393

$4.41 ฿144

101.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.29 JMD 1,769

$19.38 ฿633

-41.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 JMD 454

$1.78 ฿58.1

62.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 JMD 502

$2.71 ฿88.6

18.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 JMD 140

$1.37 ฿44.79

-35.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.53 JMD 7,604

$11.39 ฿372

326.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 JMD 176

$3.02 ฿98.6

-62.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.15 JMD 494

$0.99 ฿32.48

218.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 JMD 971

$14.10 ฿461

-56.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 JMD 201

$1.36 ฿44.51

-5.88%

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

$43.2K JMD 6.8M

$28.2K ฿921.1K

53.14%

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

$33.8K JMD 5.3M

$32.9K ฿1.1M

2.65%

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

$163 JMD 25.5K

$122 ฿3,975

33.79%

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

$22.49 JMD 3,523

$13.57 ฿443

65.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 JMD 7,942

$18.31 ฿598

176.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.4 JMD 10.9K

$60.2 ฿1,967

15.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.50 JMD 2,428

$17.14 ฿560

-9.57%

Cinema Ticket

$12.92 JMD 2,024

$8.69 ฿284

48.68%

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

$222 JMD 34.8K

$693 ฿22.6K

-67.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,451 JMD 384.0K

$15.7K ฿512.3K

-84.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.73 JMD 4,032

$59.5 ฿1,944

-56.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.24 JMD 3,955

$34.77 ฿1,136

-27.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 JMD 11.3K

$115 ฿3,743

-36.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.6 JMD 11.8K

$83.3 ฿2,720

-9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 JMD 137.9K

$613 ฿20.0K

43.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 JMD 70.7K

$437 ฿14.3K

3.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 JMD 316.7K

$2,094 ฿68.4K

-3.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 JMD 188.7K

$1,509 ฿49.3K

-20.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,863 JMD 448.5K

$3,749 ฿122.5K

-23.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,192 JMD 343.5K

$2,616 ฿85.4K

-16.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$732 JMD 114.7K

$508 ฿16.6K

44.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.15

5.33

71.67%

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

Last update for Kingston: June 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $880 in Kingston and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston pays 44% 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: $62.0 in Kingston vs $45.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $293 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

Kingston vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Kingston. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Kingston pays 44% more on average, 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: $880 in Kingston versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Kingston versus $693 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,451 in Kingston, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kingston. 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 $1,265 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kingston 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 15% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.