Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palikir and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Palikir: $1,039 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Palikir, Micronesia
Phuket, Thailand
Palikir
🇫🇲 Micronesia
$1,039
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,039 per month in Palikir vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Palikir $1,039
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,593 per month in Palikir vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Palikir $1,593
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,146 per month in Palikir vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Palikir $2,146
  • Phuket $3,154

Palikir is about 19% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Palikir and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Palikir 24% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palikir
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.48 $30.48
$4.47 ฿151
581.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.23 $45.23
$32.41 ฿1,094
39.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.83 $5.83
$8.81 ฿297
-33.83%
Cappuccino
$3.05 $3.05
$2.83 ฿95.5
7.77%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 $1.12
$0.87 ฿29.43
28.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 $2.03
$0.49 ฿16.67
314.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 $1.01
$2.56 ฿86.4
-60.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 $2.05
$3.68 ฿124
-44.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palikir
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.20 $0.20
$1.66 ฿56.0
-87.95%
White Bread (500g)
$2.16 $2.16
$1.46 ฿49.35
47.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 $2.24
$1.50 ฿50.6
49.33%
Eggs
$2.37 $2.37
$2.09 ฿70.5
13.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.29 $4.29
$19.07 ฿644
-77.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.43 $4.43
$3.30 ฿111
34.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.79 $6.79
$10.91 ฿368
-37.76%
Apples (1kg)
$3.61 $3.61
$2.93 ฿99.0
23.21%
Banana (1kg)
$2.56 $2.56
$1.69 ฿57.1
51.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.18 $2.18
$2.25 ฿75.8
-3.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.04 $3.04
$2.08 ฿70.1
46.15%
Potato (1kg)
$3.35 $3.35
$1.51 ฿51.0
121.85%
Onion (1kg)
$2.23 $2.23
$1.38 ฿46.56
61.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.85 $1.85
$1.07 ฿35.99
72.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 $1.13
$0.52 ฿17.52
117.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$17.70 $17.70
$4.20 ฿142
321.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.57 $6.57
$18.79 ฿634
-65.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 $1.40
$1.82 ฿61.5
-23.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 $1.43
$2.84 ฿95.9
-49.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Palikir
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.78 $0.78
$1.45 ฿49.03
-46.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.18 $34.18
$56.7 ฿1,913
-39.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.23 $6.23
$3.02 ฿102
106.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.66 $1.66
$1.02 ฿34.36
62.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.82 $4.82
$3.69 ฿125
30.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$3.03 $3.03
$1.47 ฿49.81
106.12%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$3,934 $3,934
$26.8K ฿904.3K
-85.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$3,955 $3,955
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-85.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palikir
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$39.72 $39.72
$96.4 ฿3,254
-58.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.89 $14.89
$11.26 ฿380
32.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$267 $267
$16.85 ฿569
1485.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palikir
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.68 $41.68
$67.2 ฿2,270
-38.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.60 $19.60
$10.73 ฿362
82.67%
Cinema Ticket
$6.81 $6.81
$7.50 ฿253
-9.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palikir
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$116 $116
$476 ฿16.1K
-75.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,655 $1,655
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-85.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palikir
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$20.17 $20.17
$62.4 ฿2,106
-67.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.31 $25.31
$28.41 ฿959
-10.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.2 $71.2
$94.3 ฿3,184
-24.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.0 $54.0
$85.8 ฿2,898
-37.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palikir
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$716 ฿24.2K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$491 ฿16.6K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$849 $849
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-79.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$694 $694
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-77.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palikir
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$245 $245
$502 ฿17.0K
-51.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
380000
5.57
6822162.12%

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

Last update for Palikir: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palikir
$322
Phuket
$124 61.3% $197
Eating Out
Palikir
$320
Phuket
$122 61.9% $198
Groceries & Markets
Palikir
$213
Phuket
$266 24.9% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Palikir
$77
Phuket
$122 58.6% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Palikir
$55
Phuket
$82 48.7% $27
Getting Around
Palikir
$52
Phuket
$71 36.1% $19
Accommodation & Living
Palikir
- *
Phuket
$491

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Phuket are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Palikir versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $213 in Palikir vs $266 in Phuket – so Palikir wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇫🇲 Palikir
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
00:02 12:02 AM
20:02 8:02 PM
4 h behind Palikir
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
6,942 Capital
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Palikir Phuket 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Palikir
  • 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
Palikir vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Palikir and in Phuket compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,039 in Palikir, $1,278 in Phuket – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Palikir compared to Phuket?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,558 per month in Palikir and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 25% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Palikir and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How far does $2,000 go in Palikir compared to Phuket?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,039 in Palikir and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
How does quality of life compare between Palikir and Phuket?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,039 in Palikir to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Palikir or Phuket safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Palikir and Phuket?
If budget matters most, go with Palikir. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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