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: $1,482 in Kingston versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,489 in Kingston versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,496 in Kingston versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Kingston is roughly 19% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 11% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.46 JMD 1,176

$4.55 ฿153

63.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 JMD 9,720

$46.18 ฿1,550

33.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.58 JMD 1,352

$8.84 ฿297

-2.94%

Cappuccino

$4.39 JMD 692

$3.06 ฿103

43.46%

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

$1.33 JMD 209

$0.73 ฿24.36

82.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.40 ฿13.37

85.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 JMD 383

$2.43 ฿81.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 JMD 489

$3.78 ฿127

-17.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.33 JMD 682

$2.26 ฿75.8

91.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 JMD 551

$1.81 ฿60.8

92.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 JMD 258

$2.25 ฿75.7

-27.11%

Eggs

$3.61 JMD 568

$2.25 ฿75.4

60.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 JMD 1,765

$19.51 ฿655

-42.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.45 JMD 1,016

$3.65 ฿122

76.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.82 JMD 1,232

$13.05 ฿438

-40.08%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 JMD 945

$3.23 ฿109

85.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.98 JMD 470

$1.62 ฿54.3

83.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.21 JMD 663

$2.38 ฿80.0

76.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 JMD 457

$2.03 ฿68.0

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 JMD 319

$1.53 ฿51.5

32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 JMD 315

$1.50 ฿50.4

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 475

$0.98 ฿32.85

207.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 238

$0.52 ฿17.36

190.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.61 JMD 1,357

$4.44 ฿149

93.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.47 JMD 1,808

$18.32 ฿615

-37.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 JMD 438

$1.86 ฿62.6

49.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 JMD 480

$2.68 ฿90.0

13.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 JMD 128

$1.41 ฿47.37

-42.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.18 JMD 7,751

$11.70 ฿393

320.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 JMD 171

$3.11 ฿104

-64.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 JMD 507

$1.04 ฿35.00

209.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 JMD 999

$14.11 ฿474

-55.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 JMD 196

$1.31 ฿44.02

-5.34%

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

$43.4K JMD 6.8M

$27.8K ฿933.8K

56.20%

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

$34.1K JMD 5.4M

$33.2K ฿1.1M

2.65%

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

$161 JMD 25.3K

$122 ฿4,110

31.33%

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

$22.24 JMD 3,504

$13.59 ฿456

63.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 JMD 8,191

$18.70 ฿628

177.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 JMD 10.9K

$60.5 ฿2,031

13.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.91 JMD 2,508

$16.98 ฿570

-6.30%

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 JMD 2,109

$9.07 ฿305

47.52%

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

$222 JMD 35.0K

$706 ฿23.7K

-68.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,532 JMD 399.1K

$15.8K ฿530.5K

-83.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.81 JMD 4,068

$58.6 ฿1,965

-55.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.49 JMD 4,017

$35.36 ฿1,187

-27.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.8 JMD 11.2K

$115 ฿3,876

-38.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.9 JMD 11.8K

$83.7 ฿2,811

-10.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 JMD 138.6K

$626 ฿21.0K

40.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 JMD 71.2K

$445 ฿14.9K

1.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,007 JMD 316.2K

$2,040 ฿68.5K

-1.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 JMD 187.2K

$1,492 ฿50.1K

-20.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,866 JMD 451.6K

$3,483 ฿116.9K

-17.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,153 JMD 339.4K

$2,577 ฿86.5K

-16.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$732 JMD 115.4K

$500 ฿16.8K

46.48%

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: July 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $880 in Kingston and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston pays 46% 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 $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $351 vs $289 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 19% 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.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Kingston, 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 $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Kingston versus $706 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 $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,482 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 $1,250 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 19% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.