Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Lipe and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Lipe and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,116 in Koh Lipe versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,146 in Koh Lipe versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,177 in Koh Lipe versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Koh Lipe is roughly 69% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koh Lipe is 58% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.23 ฿243

$4.55 ฿153

58.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.4 ฿2,503

$46.18 ฿1,553

61.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 ฿455

$8.84 ฿297

53.05%

Cappuccino

$4.68 ฿158

$3.06 ฿103

52.94%

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

$1.13 ฿37.85

$0.73 ฿24.40

54.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ฿19.63

$0.40 ฿13.39

45.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 ฿129

$2.43 ฿81.8

58.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.94 ฿200

$3.78 ฿127

57.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.69 ฿90.4

$2.26 ฿76.0

19.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 ฿80.0

$1.81 ฿60.9

31.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.2

$2.25 ฿75.8

21.78%

Eggs

$2.89 ฿97.3

$2.25 ฿75.5

28.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.71 ฿831

$19.51 ฿656

26.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 ฿154

$3.65 ฿123

25.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.51 ฿555

$13.05 ฿439

26.51%

Apples (1kg)

$4.10 ฿138

$3.23 ฿109

26.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.4

$1.62 ฿54.4

25.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 ฿98.2

$2.38 ฿80.1

22.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ฿83.2

$2.03 ฿68.1

21.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 ฿65.3

$1.53 ฿51.6

26.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.50 ฿50.5

20.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ฿43.05

$0.98 ฿32.91

30.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ฿20.45

$0.52 ฿17.39

17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.33 ฿179

$4.44 ฿149

20.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.56 ฿792

$18.32 ฿616

28.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ฿76.8

$1.86 ฿62.7

22.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 ฿118

$2.68 ฿90.1

30.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 ฿71.1

$1.41 ฿47.46

49.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 ฿154

$3.11 ฿105

46.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 ฿52.1

$1.04 ฿35.06

49.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.11 ฿710

$14.11 ฿474

49.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 ฿68.6

$1.31 ฿44.10

55.73%

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

$40.9K ฿1.4M

$27.8K ฿935.4K

47.20%

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

$50.5K ฿1.7M

$33.2K ฿1.1M

52.02%

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

$139 ฿4,678

$122 ฿4,118

13.61%

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

$16.04 ฿539

$13.59 ฿457

18.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.72 ฿730

$18.70 ฿629

16.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.0 ฿2,555

$60.5 ฿2,034

25.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.26 ฿715

$16.98 ฿571

25.21%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 ฿374

$9.07 ฿305

22.71%

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

$881 ฿29.6K

$706 ฿23.8K

24.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K ฿679.0K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

27.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 ฿2,035

$58.6 ฿1,969

3.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 ฿1,225

$35.36 ฿1,189

3.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 ฿4,122

$115 ฿3,883

6.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 ฿2,936

$83.7 ฿2,816

4.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 ฿52.4K

$626 ฿21.0K

149.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 ฿37.2K

$445 ฿15.0K

148.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,227 ฿175.8K

$2,040 ฿68.6K

156.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,796 ฿127.7K

$1,492 ฿50.2K

154.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,663 ฿291.3K

$3,483 ฿117.1K

148.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,272 ฿210.9K

$2,577 ฿86.7K

143.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

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

Last update for Koh Lipe: July 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,558 in Koh Lipe and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $74.0 in Koh Lipe vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $364 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

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

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Koh Lipe. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,174 in Koh Lipe and $1,875 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,558 in Koh Lipe versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $881 in Koh Lipe versus $706 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $74.0 in Koh Lipe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,116 in Koh Lipe, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Koh Lipe. 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, Koh Lipe 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 69% less than in Koh Lipe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.