Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Lae and Phuket

🙂 Solo nomad: Lae is 32.4% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 1.5% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lae is 15.1% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 59.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.32 PGK 44.06

$4.51 ฿142

128.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 PGK 240

$46.08 ฿1,448

22.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 ฿276

Cappuccino

$2.83 PGK 12.09

$3.09 ฿97.0

-8.41%

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

$0.87 PGK 3.73

$0.70 ฿21.96

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 PGK 2.51

$0.40 ฿12.46

47.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 PGK 15.72

$2.40 ฿75.5

53.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 PGK 25.32

$3.68 ฿116

61.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 PGK 8.99

$2.25 ฿70.6

-6.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 PGK 6.72

$1.87 ฿58.8

-16.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 PGK 5.95

$2.22 ฿69.8

-37.39%

Eggs

$4.34 PGK 18.54

$2.23 ฿70.1

94.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.25 PGK 43.78

$19.68 ฿619

-47.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 PGK 42.21

$3.66 ฿115

169.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.42 PGK 48.74

$13.09 ฿411

-12.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.86 PGK 20.74

$3.38 ฿106

43.79%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 PGK 12.99

$1.69 ฿53.2

79.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.54 PGK 27.91

$2.33 ฿73.2

180.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 PGK 7.34

$1.98 ฿62.4

-13.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.82 PGK 16.32

$1.55 ฿48.76

146.45%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 PGK 10.58

$1.51 ฿47.41

64.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 PGK 3.16

$0.98 ฿30.83

-24.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 PGK 4.22

$0.48 ฿15.01

106.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.06 PGK 30.14

$4.35 ฿137

62.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.89 PGK 55.1

$20.65 ฿649

-37.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 PGK 11.64

$1.77 ฿55.8

54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 PGK 19.45

$2.75 ฿86.6

65.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 PGK 1.59

$1.37 ฿43.18

-72.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.36 ฿357

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿97.7

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 ฿32.95

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.72 ฿431

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 PGK 4.93

$1.34 ฿42.14

-14.18%

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

$27.7K ฿869.3K

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

$33.6K ฿1.1M

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

$122 ฿3,834

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

$13.61 ฿428

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.49 ฿581

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 ฿1,939

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.70 ฿525

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 ฿286

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

$702 ฿22.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.0K ฿502.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ฿1,851

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.41 ฿1,081

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,544

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.7 ฿2,661

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,981 PGK 34.1K

$606 ฿19.0K

1216.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 PGK 3,169

$435 ฿13.7K

70.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,412 PGK 6,029

$2,069 ฿65.0K

-31.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 ฿46.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,445 ฿139.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿93.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$163 PGK 695

$547 ฿17.2K

-70.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

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

Last update for Lae: January 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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