Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Lipe and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,098 in Koh Lipe, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lipe
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Koh Lipe Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Koh Lipe

🇹🇭 Thailand

$2,098

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,098 in Koh Lipe versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Koh Lipe $2,098
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,592 in Koh Lipe versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Koh Lipe $3,592
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,086 in Koh Lipe versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Koh Lipe $5,086
Phuket $2,845

Living in Koh Lipe is roughly 74% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koh Lipe is 55% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.97 ฿233

$4.40 ฿147

58.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 ฿1,748

$32.26 ฿1,078

62.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.86 ฿463

$8.76 ฿293

58.22%

Cappuccino

$4.54 ฿152

$2.83 ฿94.5

60.42%

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

$1.51 ฿50.5

$0.90 ฿30.14

67.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 ฿24.70

$0.47 ฿15.56

57.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.97 ฿133

$2.55 ฿85.2

55.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 ฿204

$3.83 ฿128

59.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ฿71.6

$1.73 ฿57.7

23.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$1.47 ฿49.11

20.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 ฿63.0

$1.51 ฿50.6

24.50%

Eggs

$2.73 ฿91.4

$2.17 ฿72.7

25.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.27 ฿811

$19.70 ฿658

23.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ฿139

$3.34 ฿112

24.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.98 ฿467

$11.16 ฿373

25.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 ฿125

$2.85 ฿95.1

31.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.10 ฿70.1

$1.70 ฿56.9

23.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.19 ฿73.3

27.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.62 ฿87.5

$2.05 ฿68.4

27.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 ฿61.1

$1.45 ฿48.57

26.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 ฿55.9

$1.38 ฿46.16

21.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ฿46.28

$1.07 ฿35.69

28.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ฿22.89

$0.51 ฿16.91

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.52 ฿185

$4.26 ฿142

29.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.90 ฿765

$18.58 ฿621

23.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.78 ฿59.7

23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿120

$2.85 ฿95.2

25.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.44 ฿115

$2.26 ฿75.6

52.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ฿149

$3.01 ฿101

48.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 ฿53.1

$1.06 ฿35.34

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 ฿195

$3.86 ฿129

51.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 ฿74.0

$1.45 ฿48.45

52.41%

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

$40.4K ฿1.3M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

53.27%

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

$40.0K ฿1.3M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

48.60%

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

$113 ฿3,773

$96.4 ฿3,221

17.13%

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

$12.73 ฿425

$11.04 ฿369

15.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.03 ฿669

$17.14 ฿573

16.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.6 ฿2,225

$52.2 ฿1,744

27.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.60 ฿454

$11.16 ฿373

21.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.45 ฿316

$7.81 ฿261

21.00%

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

$696 ฿23.3K

$556 ฿18.6K

25.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K ฿483.5K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

24.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 ฿2,253

$64.2 ฿2,146

5.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.63 ฿990

$28.69 ฿959

3.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 ฿3,424

$95.4 ฿3,187

7.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.5 ฿3,090

$88.0 ฿2,940

5.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 ฿61.3K

$737 ฿24.6K

148.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,181 ฿39.5K

$462 ฿15.5K

155.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,300 ฿177.1K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

153.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,000 ฿100.3K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

149.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,628 ฿288.3K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

147.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,214 ฿207.7K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

146.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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 Lipe: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Lipe

$1.2K 56.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 60.9% $719

Groceries & Markets

Koh Lipe

$335 16%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 19.9% $67

Eating Out

Koh Lipe

$193 9.2%

Phuket

$121 10% 37.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Lipe

$146 6.9%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 14.5% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Lipe

$131 6.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 5.4% $7.1

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Lipe

$85 4.1%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 20.7% $18

Getting Around

Koh Lipe

$26 * 1.3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 50.6% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,835 in Koh Lipe and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $52.0 in Koh Lipe vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Lipe

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

Same time as Koh Lipe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

800

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Koh Lipe Phuket 180 km

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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 Lipe vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 74% 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 $3,147 in Koh Lipe and $1,813 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: $1,835 in Koh Lipe versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $696 in Koh Lipe versus $556 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 $32.00 versus $52.0 in Koh Lipe. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,098 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 $1,208 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 74% less than in Koh Lipe. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.