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

🙂 Solo nomad: Lae is 36.2% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 0.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lae is 19.5% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 59.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.68 PGK 45.94

$4.65 ฿149

129.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 PGK 236

$46.11 ฿1,474

19.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.74 ฿279

Cappuccino

$2.80 PGK 12.05

$3.04 ฿97.1

-7.89%

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

$0.81 PGK 3.46

$0.72 ฿23.03

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 PGK 2.49

$0.39 ฿12.50

48.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 PGK 15.30

$2.44 ฿78.0

45.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 PGK 24.90

$3.79 ฿121

52.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 PGK 9.05

$2.14 ฿68.6

-1.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 PGK 6.56

$1.86 ฿59.5

-17.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 PGK 6.10

$2.19 ฿69.9

-35.16%

Eggs

$4.19 PGK 18.03

$2.25 ฿71.8

86.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.23 PGK 44.00

$19.73 ฿631

-48.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 PGK 42.67

$3.79 ฿121

161.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.34 PGK 48.78

$13.55 ฿433

-16.31%

Apples (1kg)

$4.84 PGK 20.80

$3.25 ฿104

48.92%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 PGK 12.97

$1.67 ฿53.4

80.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.74 PGK 29.00

$2.39 ฿76.5

182.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 PGK 7.14

$2.09 ฿66.9

-20.57%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 PGK 15.92

$1.53 ฿48.88

141.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 PGK 10.57

$1.51 ฿48.27

62.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 PGK 3.15

$0.99 ฿31.62

-26.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 PGK 4.06

$0.51 ฿16.46

84.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.17 PGK 30.83

$4.27 ฿137

67.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 PGK 54.6

$20.31 ฿649

-37.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 PGK 11.53

$1.79 ฿57.3

49.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 PGK 20.22

$2.77 ฿88.5

69.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 PGK 1.48

$1.40 ฿44.89

-75.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿374

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿99.4

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿31.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.73 ฿439

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 PGK 4.86

$1.32 ฿42.17

-14.39%

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

$27.2K ฿870.7K

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

$34.1K ฿1.1M

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

$120 ฿3,849

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

$13.93 ฿445

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿585

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 ฿1,948

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 ฿551

Cinema Ticket

$8.71 ฿278

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

$698 ฿22.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿503.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ฿1,843

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.24 ฿1,095

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,618

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 ฿2,711

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$7,964 PGK 34.2K

$604 ฿19.3K

1218.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$763 PGK 3,279

$436 ฿13.9K

74.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,456 PGK 6,261

$2,057 ฿65.8K

-29.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 ฿47.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,252 ฿135.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,988 ฿95.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$161 PGK 692

$529 ฿16.9K

-69.60%

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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 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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