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: $1,684 in Kingston versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,889 in Kingston versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,093 in Kingston versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Kingston is roughly 34% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kingston is 23% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.95 JMD 2,513

$4.56 ฿152

249.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 JMD 11.7K

$32.62 ฿1,086

127.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 JMD 1,388

$8.90 ฿296

-1.01%

Cappuccino

$5.22 JMD 823

$2.80 ฿93.4

86.43%

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

$1.19 JMD 188

$0.88 ฿29.31

35.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 JMD 109

$0.49 ฿16.29

40.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 JMD 345

$2.39 ฿79.5

-8.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 486

$3.71 ฿124

-16.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.06 JMD 639

$1.79 ฿59.5

126.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.74 JMD 589

$1.44 ฿48.00

159.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 JMD 261

$1.58 ฿52.8

5.06%

Eggs

$3.61 JMD 570

$2.13 ฿70.8

69.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.58 JMD 1,826

$19.92 ฿663

-41.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.19 JMD 975

$3.43 ฿114

80.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 JMD 1,595

$11.33 ฿377

-10.68%

Apples (1kg)

$6.12 JMD 964

$2.95 ฿98.2

107.46%

Banana (1kg)

$3.99 JMD 629

$1.72 ฿57.3

131.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.48 JMD 1,179

$2.32 ฿77.4

222.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 JMD 491

$2.08 ฿69.3

49.52%

Potato (1kg)

$3.23 JMD 510

$1.47 ฿48.96

119.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 JMD 416

$1.36 ฿45.22

94.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.01 JMD 474

$1.10 ฿36.59

173.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 JMD 231

$0.57 ฿19.13

156.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.74 JMD 1,534

$4.27 ฿142

128.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 JMD 1,785

$18.42 ฿613

-38.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 JMD 439

$1.87 ฿62.3

48.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 JMD 625

$2.92 ฿97.3

35.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 JMD 128

$2.22 ฿73.9

-63.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.60 JMD 6,082

$22.90 ฿762

68.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 JMD 193

$3.03 ฿101

-59.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.14 JMD 496

$1.07 ฿35.77

193.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.15 JMD 970

$3.93 ฿131

56.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 JMD 215

$1.49 ฿49.68

-8.72%

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

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

$27.1K ฿903.4K

61.03%

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

$32.4K JMD 5.1M

$27.5K ฿914.1K

18.03%

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

$172 JMD 27.1K

$103 ฿3,423

67.20%

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

$29.66 JMD 4,675

$10.99 ฿366

169.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 JMD 8,278

$17.51 ฿583

200.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.6 JMD 9,862

$53.5 ฿1,783

16.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.94 JMD 2,827

$11.20 ฿373

60.18%

Cinema Ticket

$13.35 JMD 2,103

$7.48 ฿249

78.48%

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

$367 JMD 57.8K

$557 ฿18.5K

-34.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,302 JMD 1.3M

$11.9K ฿394.7K

-29.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.88 JMD 3,764

$64.1 ฿2,134

-62.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.86 JMD 5,020

$29.07 ฿968

9.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 JMD 12.5K

$96.0 ฿3,195

-17.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 JMD 16.1K

$90.3 ฿3,008

12.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$972 JMD 153.2K

$730 ฿24.3K

33.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 JMD 88.7K

$500 ฿16.6K

12.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,117 JMD 333.5K

$2,090 ฿69.6K

1.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,434 JMD 226.0K

$1,209 ฿40.3K

18.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,902 JMD 457.4K

$3,596 ฿119.7K

-19.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,054 JMD 323.7K

$2,512 ฿83.7K

-18.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$757 JMD 119.3K

$503 ฿16.8K

50.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

5.57

69.66%

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

Last update for Kingston: August 29, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $972 in Kingston and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kingston pays 50% 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: $74.0 in Kingston vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $384 vs $273 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 34% 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 50% 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: $972 in Kingston versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $367 in Kingston versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Kingston. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $1,684 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 $1,253 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 34% less than in Kingston. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.