Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Tao and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Tao: $1,036 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
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Koh Tao Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,036

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,036 in Koh Tao versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Koh Tao $1,036
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,724 in Koh Tao versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Koh Tao $1,724
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,412 in Koh Tao versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Koh Tao $2,412
Phuket $2,867

Living in Koh Tao costs roughly 14% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Koh Tao 23% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ฿130

$4.58 ฿153

-15.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.48 ฿918

$32.48 ฿1,086

-15.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 ฿241

$8.55 ฿286

-15.56%

Cappuccino

$2.32 ฿77.7

$2.72 ฿91.0

-14.71%

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

$0.80 ฿26.90

$0.94 ฿31.25

-14.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ฿13.12

$0.49 ฿16.39

-20.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿70.5

$2.59 ฿86.6

-18.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 ฿103

$3.83 ฿128

-19.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ฿52.6

$1.74 ฿58.1

-9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ฿44.04

$1.43 ฿47.82

-7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 ฿49.62

$1.53 ฿51.0

-3.27%

Eggs

$2.01 ฿67.1

$2.17 ฿72.7

-7.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.09 ฿605

$19.15 ฿640

-5.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ฿108

$3.30 ฿110

-2.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 ฿344

$11.14 ฿372

-7.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ฿90.4

$2.95 ฿98.5

-8.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 ฿53.2

$1.68 ฿56.1

-5.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.1

$2.30 ฿76.8

-4.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 ฿68.7

$2.13 ฿71.3

-3.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.25

$1.53 ฿51.1

-9.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.71

$1.36 ฿45.55

-3.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.93

$1.12 ฿37.44

-8.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿15.98

$0.55 ฿18.24

-12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.09 ฿137

$4.26 ฿142

-3.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.41 ฿582

$18.19 ฿608

-4.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ฿57.8

$1.74 ฿58.2

-0.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 ฿88.6

$2.79 ฿93.3

-5.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.07 ฿69.1

$2.22 ฿74.1

-6.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 ฿91.4

$2.91 ฿97.3

-6.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ฿30.62

$1.01 ฿33.79

-8.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 ฿112

$3.83 ฿128

-12.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ฿42.74

$1.49 ฿49.85

-14.09%

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

$23.9K ฿798.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-10.46%

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

$23.8K ฿794.6K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-10.99%

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

$98.3 ฿3,284

$99.4 ฿3,321

-1.12%

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

$11.05 ฿369

$11.28 ฿377

-2.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿572

$17.36 ฿580

-1.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.6 ฿1,858

$52.3 ฿1,747

6.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.62 ฿388

$10.85 ฿362

7.10%

Cinema Ticket

$8.16 ฿273

$7.57 ฿253

7.79%

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

$550 ฿18.4K

$558 ฿18.7K

-1.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿390.9K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

1.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 ฿2,100

$62.9 ฿2,102

-0.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.07 ฿972

$28.58 ฿955

1.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,232

$96.1 ฿3,213

0.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 ฿2,983

$88.1 ฿2,943

1.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$555 ฿18.6K

$729 ฿24.4K

-23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$344 ฿11.5K

$460 ฿15.4K

-25.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 ฿52.1K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-25.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 ฿30.2K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-26.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,623 ฿87.7K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-24.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,862 ฿62.2K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-25.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

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 Tao: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Tao

$344 33.2%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 33.9% $116

Groceries & Markets

Koh Tao

$252 24.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 6.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Tao

$126 12.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 1.3% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Tao

$125 12.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 0.8% $1

Eating Out

Koh Tao

$102 9.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 18.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Tao

$72 6.9%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 6.3% $4.5

Getting Around

Koh Tao

$16 * 1.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 150% $23

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 $555 in Koh Tao and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in Koh Tao vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $252 vs $268 per month, with Koh Tao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

Same time as Koh Tao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,382

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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Koh Tao Phuket 290 km

From you

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

Koh Tao is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,554 in Koh Tao and $1,811 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: $555 in Koh Tao versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $550 in Koh Tao versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Tao – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,036 in Koh Tao versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Koh Tao but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Tao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Koh Tao is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Koh Tao 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 Koh Tao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.