Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kone and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Kone: $450 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kone

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$450

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $450 in Kone versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Kone $450
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $673 in Kone versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Kone $673
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $897 in Kone versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Kone $897
Phuket $3,154

Living in Kone costs roughly 65% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kone 67% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 CFPF 5,556

$32.41 ฿1,093

61.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CFPF 158

$0.52 ฿17.51

186.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.16 CFPF 1,824

$4.20 ฿142

308.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 CFPF 1,573

$18.79 ฿634

-21.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

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

$169 CFPF 18.0K

$96.4 ฿3,251

75.49%

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

$11.26 ฿380

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.3 CFPF 10.1K

$16.85 ฿568

465.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 CFPF 5,971

$67.2 ฿2,268

-16.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 CFPF 11.7K

$62.4 ฿2,104

76.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 CFPF 7,568

$94.3 ฿3,181

-24.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$562 CFPF 59.8K

$716 ฿24.2K

-21.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 CFPF 159.3K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-22.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,902 CFPF 308.5K

$502 ฿16.9K

477.75%

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 Kone: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kone

–

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Groceries & Markets

Kone

–

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kone

–

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Kone

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Eating Out

Kone

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Kone

–

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Getting Around

Kone

–

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $562 in Kone and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kone pays about 5.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $52 in Kone vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $47 vs $266, with Kone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇨 Kone

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

09:22 9:22 AM

4 h behind Kone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,500

79,308

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.41 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.43 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.41 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.43 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kone Phuket 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kone
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

Kone vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kone wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Kone is about 5.8 times higher, 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: $562 in Kone versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $450 per month in Kone versus $1,278 in Phuket – Kone is about 65% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 461% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $450 in Kone versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Kone but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kone the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Kone and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.