Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krabi and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Krabi: $1,006 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Krabi
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Krabi Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Krabi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,006

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,006 in Krabi versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Krabi $1,006
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Krabi versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Krabi $1,391
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,775 in Krabi versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Krabi $1,775
Phuket $3,154

Living in Krabi costs roughly 21% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Krabi 26% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 ฿99.4

$4.47 ฿151

-34.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.85 ฿637

$32.41 ฿1,094

-41.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.48 ฿286

$8.81 ฿297

-3.75%

Cappuccino

$1.75 ฿59.2

$2.83 ฿95.5

-38.16%

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

$1.05 ฿35.46

$0.87 ฿29.43

20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ฿14.56

$0.49 ฿16.67

-12.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ฿60.5

$2.56 ฿86.4

-30.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 ฿78.5

$3.68 ฿124

-36.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 ฿76.0

$1.66 ฿56.0

35.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.46 ฿49.35

2.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.9

$1.50 ฿50.6

38.00%

Eggs

$1.88 ฿63.6

$2.09 ฿70.5

-10.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 ฿542

$19.07 ฿644

-15.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.2

$3.30 ฿111

-16.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 ฿264

$10.91 ฿368

-28.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 ฿80.2

$2.93 ฿99.0

-19.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.91

$1.69 ฿57.1

-39.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿74.7

$2.25 ฿75.8

-1.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.56

$2.08 ฿70.1

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.97

$1.51 ฿51.0

-7.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.51

$1.38 ฿46.56

-6.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.07 ฿35.99

37.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.52 ฿17.52

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 ฿153

$4.20 ฿142

7.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 ฿352

$18.79 ฿634

-44.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.9

$1.82 ฿61.5

-4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ฿83.1

$2.84 ฿95.9

-13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.28

$1.45 ฿49.03

-35.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 ฿79.1

$3.02 ฿102

-22.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$1.02 ฿34.36

74.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.06 ฿205

$3.69 ฿125

64.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ฿46.34

$1.47 ฿49.81

-6.80%

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

$21.7K ฿733.6K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-18.87%

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

$24.4K ฿825.4K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-8.43%

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

$69.1 ฿2,333

$96.4 ฿3,254

-28.29%

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

$11.47 ฿387

$11.26 ฿380

1.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.42 ฿825

$16.85 ฿569

44.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.9 ฿2,090

$67.2 ฿2,270

-7.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.09 ฿307

$10.73 ฿362

-15.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 ฿248

$7.50 ฿253

-2.27%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,136 ฿274.7K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-27.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.70 ฿496

$62.4 ฿2,106

-76.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.01 ฿507

$28.41 ฿959

-47.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ฿2,509

$94.3 ฿3,184

-21.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.5 ฿2,515

$85.8 ฿2,898

-13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 ฿11.5K

$716 ฿24.2K

-52.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ฿14.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

-15.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 ฿23.6K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-63.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-64.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,186 ฿40.1K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-71.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ฿34.4K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-66.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$708 ฿23.9K

$502 ฿17.0K

41.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.4

5.57

32.85%

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

Last update for Krabi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krabi

$414 41.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 18.6% $77

Groceries & Markets

Krabi

$226 22.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 17.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krabi

$105 10.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 18.6% $19

Eating Out

Krabi

$90 8.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Krabi

$80 8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 51.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Krabi

$77 7.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 7.4% $5.7

Getting Around

Krabi

$15 * 1.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 372% $56

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 $339 in Krabi and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krabi pays 41% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Krabi vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $226 vs $266 per month, with Krabi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Krabi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:46 5:46 PM

Same time as Krabi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Krabi Phuket 61 km

From you

Krabi
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

Krabi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Krabi and Phuket differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,006 vs $1,278 including rent). Krabi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 41% higher in Krabi, 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: $339 in Krabi versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Krabi – a meal for two runs $19 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,006 per month in Krabi versus $1,278 in Phuket – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Krabi gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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, Krabi 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.