Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakhon Ratchasima and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima: $776 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Ratchasima
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Nakhon Ratchasima Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Thailand

$776

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $776 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Nakhon Ratchasima $776
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,277 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Nakhon Ratchasima $1,277
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,778 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Nakhon Ratchasima $1,778
Phuket $3,154

Living in Nakhon Ratchasima costs roughly 39% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nakhon Ratchasima 43% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.47 ฿151

-34.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.99 ฿876

$32.41 ฿1,092

-19.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 ฿209

$8.81 ฿297

-29.63%

Cappuccino

$1.97 ฿66.5

$2.83 ฿95.3

-30.39%

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

$0.52 ฿17.67

$0.87 ฿29.37

-40.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.47

$0.49 ฿16.64

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ฿58.4

$2.56 ฿86.2

-32.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿90.7

$3.68 ฿124

-26.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.7

$1.66 ฿55.9

-4.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ฿42.41

$1.46 ฿49.25

-13.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 ฿41.15

$1.50 ฿50.4

-18.67%

Eggs

$1.44 ฿48.60

$2.09 ฿70.4

-31.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.42 ฿520

$19.07 ฿642

-19.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.65 ฿89.4

$3.30 ฿111

-19.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 ฿335

$10.91 ฿368

-8.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 ฿105

$2.93 ฿98.7

6.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.84

$1.69 ฿56.9

-28.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ฿64.8

$2.25 ฿75.7

-14.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 ฿63.1

$2.08 ฿70.0

-10.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.80

$1.51 ฿50.9

-17.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ฿34.38

$1.38 ฿46.47

-26.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ฿41.23

$1.07 ฿35.91

14.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 ฿12.68

$0.52 ฿17.49

-26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 ฿94.2

$4.20 ฿142

-33.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.54 ฿591

$18.79 ฿633

-6.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.2

$1.82 ฿61.4

-8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿97.8

$2.84 ฿95.7

2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ฿15.55

$1.45 ฿48.93

-68.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.30 ฿650

$56.7 ฿1,909

-65.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ฿35.47

$3.02 ฿102

-65.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 ฿37.87

$1.02 ฿34.29

9.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.34 ฿248

$3.69 ฿124

98.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ฿47.08

$1.47 ฿49.70

-4.76%

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

$44.6K ฿1.5M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

66.74%

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

$26.7K ฿899.3K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-0.01%

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

$87.2 ฿2,937

$96.4 ฿3,247

-9.54%

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

$11.55 ฿389

$11.26 ฿380

2.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 ฿642

$16.85 ฿568

13.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.52 ฿1,568

$67.2 ฿2,266

-30.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 ฿498

$10.73 ฿361

37.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ฿159

$7.50 ฿253

-37.07%

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

$178 ฿5,996

$476 ฿16.0K

-62.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿486.9K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

28.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 ฿1,728

$62.4 ฿2,102

-17.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.82 ฿971

$28.41 ฿957

1.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ฿2,576

$94.3 ฿3,178

-18.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 ฿2,279

$85.8 ฿2,892

-21.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 ฿7,464

$716 ฿24.1K

-69.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 ฿5,329

$491 ฿16.5K

-67.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-75.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ฿14.5K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-69.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,407 ฿114.8K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-18.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,712 ฿57.7K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-43.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$602 ฿20.3K

$502 ฿16.9K

19.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.1

5.57

-8.44%

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

Last update for Nakhon Ratchasima: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nakhon Ratchasima

$233 30%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 14.4% $33

Accommodation & Living

Nakhon Ratchasima

$158 20.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 211% $333

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nakhon Ratchasima

$118 15.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 5.7% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Nakhon Ratchasima

$101 13%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.8% $21

Eating Out

Nakhon Ratchasima

$83 10.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 46.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Nakhon Ratchasima

$56 7.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 47% $26

Getting Around

Nakhon Ratchasima

$28 3.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 154% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Nakhon Ratchasima and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nakhon Ratchasima pays 20% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26 in Nakhon Ratchasima vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $266 per month, with Nakhon Ratchasima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

Same time as Nakhon Ratchasima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,391

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Nakhon Ratchasima Phuket 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nakhon Ratchasima
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

Nakhon Ratchasima vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $776 in Nakhon Ratchasima and $1,278 in Phuket, so Nakhon Ratchasima is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 20% higher in Nakhon Ratchasima, 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: $222 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima – a meal for two runs $26 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $776 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Nakhon Ratchasima but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nakhon Ratchasima 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, Nakhon Ratchasima and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Nakhon Ratchasima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.