Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Papeete and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,283 in Papeete, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
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Papeete Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,283

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,283 per month in Papeete vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Papeete $2,283
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,451 per month in Papeete vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Papeete $3,451
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,620 per month in Papeete vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Papeete $4,620
Phuket $3,154

Papeete costs about 79% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Papeete sits 68% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.56 CFPF 1,983

$4.47 ฿151

315.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.4 CFPF 10.2K

$32.41 ฿1,092

194.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.54 CFPF 1,553

$8.81 ฿297

65.04%

Cappuccino

$3.41 CFPF 364

$2.83 ฿95.3

20.49%

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

$2.62 CFPF 280

$0.87 ฿29.37

201.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 CFPF 347

$0.49 ฿16.64

563.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.35 CFPF 358

$2.56 ฿86.2

30.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 CFPF 402

$3.68 ฿124

2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 CFPF 159

$1.66 ฿55.9

-10.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.75 CFPF 293

$1.46 ฿49.25

88.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 CFPF 172

$1.50 ฿50.4

7.33%

Eggs

$6.36 CFPF 679

$2.09 ฿70.4

204.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.25 CFPF 2,911

$19.07 ฿642

42.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.12 CFPF 1,616

$3.30 ฿111

358.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.88 CFPF 2,872

$10.91 ฿368

146.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.79 CFPF 512

$2.93 ฿98.7

63.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 CFPF 258

$1.69 ฿56.9

43.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.39 CFPF 683

$2.25 ฿75.7

184.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.76 CFPF 830

$2.08 ฿70.0

273.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CFPF 282

$1.51 ฿50.9

74.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 CFPF 233

$1.38 ฿46.47

57.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.65 CFPF 390

$1.07 ฿35.91

241.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 CFPF 121

$0.52 ฿17.49

119.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.97 CFPF 1,386

$4.20 ฿142

208.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.00 CFPF 2,244

$18.79 ฿633

11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 CFPF 288

$1.82 ฿61.4

47.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 CFPF 340

$2.84 ฿95.7

12.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 CFPF 204

$1.45 ฿48.93

31.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.23 CFPF 986

$3.02 ฿102

205.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CFPF 162

$1.47 ฿49.70

2.72%

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

$18.4K CFPF 2.0M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-31.32%

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

$27.8K CFPF 3.0M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

4.08%

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

$179 CFPF 19.2K

$96.4 ฿3,247

86.21%

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

$19.50 CFPF 2,084

$11.26 ฿380

73.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.8 CFPF 7,560

$16.85 ฿568

319.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$84.0 CFPF 8,976

$67.2 ฿2,266

24.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$14.21 CFPF 1,518

$7.50 ฿253

89.47%

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

$461 CFPF 49.3K

$476 ฿16.0K

-3.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,248 CFPF 988.1K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-17.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.2 CFPF 7,390

$62.4 ฿2,102

10.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 CFPF 7,528

$28.41 ฿957

147.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 CFPF 8,299

$94.3 ฿3,178

-17.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 CFPF 9,543

$85.8 ฿2,892

4.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 CFPF 141.9K

$716 ฿24.1K

85.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$947 CFPF 101.2K

$491 ฿16.5K

93.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,806 CFPF 193.0K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-6.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,513 CFPF 161.6K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

5.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,081 CFPF 756.6K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

69.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,507 CFPF 802.1K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

146.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,222 CFPF 237.4K

$502 ฿16.9K

342.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

5.57

-19.21%

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

Last update for Papeete: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Papeete

$947 41.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 48.2% $457

Groceries & Markets

Papeete

$517 22.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 48.5% $251

Eating Out

Papeete

$281 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.7% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Papeete

$270 11.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 53.8% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Papeete

$138 6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Papeete

$112 4.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 26.9% $30

Getting Around

Papeete

$17 * 0.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 319% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,328 in Papeete versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Papeete are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95 in Papeete versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $517 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇫 Papeete

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

11:25 11:25 AM

17 h ahead of Papeete

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,050 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

CFP Franc XPF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XPF = 9.36 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to XPF – CFP Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 CFP Franc (Fr)

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.36 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to XPF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Papeete Phuket 12,600 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Papeete
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

Papeete vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Papeete is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,424 per month in Papeete and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,328 in Papeete.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,283 in Papeete and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 44% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $461 per month in Papeete and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Papeete at $2,283. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Papeete it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $2,283 in Papeete. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Papeete makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.