Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koror and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,821 in Koror, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. The total is higher in Koror despite lower rent and utilities.

88

Cost of Living Index in Koror
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Koror Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Koror

🇵🇼 Palau

$1,821

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,821 in Koror versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Koror $1,821
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,882 in Koror versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Koror $2,882
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,942 in Koror versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Koror $3,942
Phuket $2,845

Living in Koror is roughly 51% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Koror is 34% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.72 $13.72

$4.40 ฿147

211.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.6 $73.6

$32.26 ฿1,078

128.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 $10.13

$8.76 ฿293

15.64%

Cappuccino

$3.98 $3.98

$2.83 ฿94.5

40.64%

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

$1.40 $1.40

$0.90 ฿30.14

55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

$0.47 ฿15.56

129.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.55 ฿85.2

-39.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.83 ฿128

-40.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.66 $2.66

$1.73 ฿57.7

53.76%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.47 ฿49.11

129.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.24 $0.24

$1.51 ฿50.6

-84.11%

Eggs

$6.56 $6.56

$2.17 ฿72.7

202.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.12 $10.12

$19.70 ฿658

-48.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.12 $14.12

$3.34 ฿112

322.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.40 $19.40

$11.16 ฿373

73.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.85 ฿95.1

89.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.70 ฿56.9

25.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.47 $5.47

$2.19 ฿73.3

149.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$16.29 $16.29

$2.05 ฿68.4

694.63%

Potato (1kg)

$4.56 $4.56

$1.45 ฿48.57

214.48%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.38 ฿46.16

135.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.07 ฿35.69

85.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.51 ฿16.91

247.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.72 $14.72

$4.26 ฿142

245.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.09 $22.09

$18.58 ฿621

18.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.42 $3.42

$1.78 ฿59.7

92.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 $3.39

$2.85 ฿95.2

18.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$3.01 ฿101

-16.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$3.86 ฿129

58.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 $1.98

$1.45 ฿48.45

36.55%

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

$17.8K $17.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-32.47%

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

$14.8K $14.8K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-44.99%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

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

$51.6 $51.6

$11.04 ฿369

366.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$196 $196

$17.14 ฿573

1040.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.5 $81.5

$52.2 ฿1,744

56.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

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

$250 $250

$556 ฿18.6K

-55.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 $85.2

$64.2 ฿2,146

32.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.3 $64.3

$28.69 ฿959

124.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$193 $193

$95.4 ฿3,187

102.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 $197

$88.0 ฿2,940

124.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 $719

$737 ฿24.6K

-2.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 $530

$462 ฿15.5K

14.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,185 $2,185

$2,095 ฿70.0K

4.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$960 $960

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-20.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$793 $793

$501 ฿16.7K

58.35%

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 Koror: 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

Koror

$530 29.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 12.7% $68

Groceries & Markets

Koror

$507 27.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 47% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koror

$247 * 13.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 49.6% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Koror

$243 13.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 48.8% $119

Eating Out

Koror

$210 11.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 42.3% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Koror

$82 * 4.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 16.8% $14

Getting Around

Koror

$2.5 * 0.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 1465% $37

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 $719 in Koror and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koror pays 58% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $74.0 in Koror vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $507 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇼 Koror

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

2 h behind Koror

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,000

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Koror Phuket 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Koror
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

Koror vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koror and Phuket differ by about 51% in total monthly costs ($1,821 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 58% higher in Koror, 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: $719 in Koror versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 89% higher in Koror. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,821 per month in Koror versus $1,208 in Phuket – a 51% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,821 in Koror, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Koror. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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, Koror 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 51% less than in Koror. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.