Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Chang and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Chang: $1,021 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,021

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,021 per month in Koh Chang vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Koh Chang $1,021
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,720 per month in Koh Chang vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Koh Chang $1,720
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,418 per month in Koh Chang vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Koh Chang $2,418
Phuket $3,154

Koh Chang is about 20% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Koh Chang and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Koh Chang 25% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.47 ฿117

$4.47 ฿151

-22.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.30 ฿888

$32.41 ฿1,094

-18.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ฿238

$8.81 ฿297

-20.09%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ฿73.5

$2.83 ฿95.4

-22.97%

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

$0.75 ฿25.33

$0.87 ฿29.42

-13.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.35

$0.49 ฿16.66

-24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 ฿67.7

$2.56 ฿86.3

-21.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ฿101

$3.68 ฿124

-18.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿50.0

$1.66 ฿56.0

-10.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ฿42.31

$1.46 ฿49.32

-14.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.39

$1.50 ฿50.5

-8.67%

Eggs

$1.89 ฿63.7

$2.09 ฿70.5

-9.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.29 ฿584

$19.07 ฿643

-9.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 ฿103

$3.30 ฿111

-7.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.19 ฿344

$10.91 ฿368

-6.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ฿90.6

$2.93 ฿98.9

-8.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.7

$1.69 ฿57.0

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$2.25 ฿75.8

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 ฿62.4

$2.08 ฿70.1

-11.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.65

$1.51 ฿51.0

-14.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.72

$1.38 ฿46.54

-10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿34.04

$1.07 ฿35.97

-5.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.52 ฿17.51

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.20 ฿142

-10.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.75 ฿565

$18.79 ฿634

-10.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 ฿52.7

$1.82 ฿61.5

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ฿83.0

$2.84 ฿95.9

-13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ฿40.91

$1.45 ฿49.00

-16.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.34 ฿1,294

$56.7 ฿1,912

-32.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ฿81.9

$3.02 ฿102

-19.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ฿28.77

$1.02 ฿34.34

-16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.69 ฿125

-20.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ฿38.48

$1.47 ฿49.78

-22.45%

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

$21.7K ฿733.1K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-18.88%

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

$20.9K ฿707.0K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-21.52%

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

$94.6 ฿3,191

$96.4 ฿3,252

-1.86%

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

$10.67 ฿360

$11.26 ฿380

-5.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.02 ฿541

$16.85 ฿569

-4.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 ฿1,957

$67.2 ฿2,269

-13.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.00 ฿304

$10.73 ฿362

-16.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.50 ฿253

-13.47%

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

$422 ฿14.3K

$476 ฿16.1K

-11.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K ฿343.5K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-9.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 ฿2,036

$62.4 ฿2,105

-3.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.66 ฿900

$28.41 ฿959

-6.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 ฿3,015

$94.3 ฿3,182

-5.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 ฿2,751

$85.8 ฿2,896

-5.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ฿15.8K

$716 ฿24.2K

-34.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ฿11.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

-33.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ฿43.6K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-32.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$917 ฿31.0K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-35.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,704 ฿91.2K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-35.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ฿64.3K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-37.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Koh Chang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Chang

$327 32%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 50.1% $164

Groceries & Markets

Koh Chang

$240 23.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 10.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Chang

$121 11.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 2.7% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Chang

$116 11.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.1% $5.9

Eating Out

Koh Chang

$95 9.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 27.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Chang

$71 7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 15.9% $11

Getting Around

Koh Chang

$50 4.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 41.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Koh Chang versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Koh Chang versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $266 – making Koh Chang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:04 2:04 PM

Same time as Koh Chang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,500

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Koh Chang Phuket 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Chang
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

Koh Chang vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,021 in Koh Chang, $1,278 in Phuket – Koh Chang comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,531 per month in Koh Chang and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koh Chang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Koh Chang and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,021 in Koh Chang and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Koh Chang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Koh Chang is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 20% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.