Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pathein and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Pathein: $1,019 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Pathein

🇲🇲 Myanmar

$1,019

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,019 in Pathein versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Pathein $1,019
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,843 in Pathein versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Pathein $1,843
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,666 in Pathein versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Pathein $2,666
Phuket $3,154

Living in Pathein costs roughly 20% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pathein 25% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.54 MMK 3,223

$4.47 ฿151

-65.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.05 MMK 42.0K

$32.41 ฿1,093

-38.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.08 MMK 16.9K

$8.81 ฿297

-8.29%

Cappuccino

$1.53 MMK 3,210

$2.83 ฿95.4

-45.94%

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

$0.52 MMK 1,098

$0.87 ฿29.41

-40.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 MMK 1,092

$0.49 ฿16.65

6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 MMK 3,211

$2.56 ฿86.3

-40.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 MMK 2,129

$3.68 ฿124

-72.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 MMK 3,178

$1.46 ฿49.31

4.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.93 MMK 6,133

$1.50 ฿50.5

95.33%

Eggs

$2.39 MMK 5,000

$2.09 ฿70.5

14.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$40.69 MMK 85.2K

$19.07 ฿643

113.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 MMK 12.4K

$3.30 ฿111

79.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.98 MMK 16.7K

$10.91 ฿368

-26.86%

Apples (1kg)

$9.83 MMK 20.6K

$2.93 ฿98.9

235.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

Oranges (1kg)

$10.05 MMK 21.0K

$2.25 ฿75.8

346.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.88 MMK 10.2K

$2.08 ฿70.0

134.62%

Potato (1kg)

$4.09 MMK 8,555

$1.51 ฿51.0

170.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 MMK 4,102

$1.38 ฿46.52

42.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 MMK 1,073

$1.07 ฿35.96

-52.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.94 MMK 6,151

$4.20 ฿142

-30.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.73 MMK 41.3K

$18.79 ฿634

5.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 MMK 3,218

$1.82 ฿61.5

-15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 MMK 4,299

$2.84 ฿95.8

-27.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 MMK 2,043

$1.02 ฿34.33

-3.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 MMK 6,214

$3.69 ฿125

-19.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 MMK 4,091

$1.47 ฿49.76

32.65%

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

$32.3K MMK 67.7M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

20.70%

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

$31.4K MMK 65.7M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

17.59%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

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

$19.80 MMK 41.5K

$11.26 ฿380

75.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.03 MMK 21.0K

$16.85 ฿568

-40.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$151 MMK 315.1K

$67.2 ฿2,268

123.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$2.03 MMK 4,247

$7.50 ฿253

-72.93%

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

$395 MMK 827.0K

$476 ฿16.1K

-17.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,846 MMK 10.1M

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-56.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.85 MMK 41.6K

$62.4 ฿2,104

-68.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.17 MMK 31.8K

$28.41 ฿958

-46.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.73 MMK 104.1K

$94.3 ฿3,181

-47.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 MMK 124.4K

$85.8 ฿2,895

-30.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 MMK 850.2K

$716 ฿24.2K

-43.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 MMK 629.3K

$491 ฿16.6K

-38.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 MMK 2.3M

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-44.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 MMK 2.1M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-29.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Pathein: 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

Pathein

–

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Groceries & Markets

Pathein

–

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pathein

–

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Pathein

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Eating Out

Pathein

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Pathein

–

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Getting Around

Pathein

–

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $406 in Pathein and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Pathein vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $395 vs $266, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇲 Pathein

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

01:06 1:06 AM

30 min ahead of Pathein

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

315,600

79,308

💱 Currency

Myanmar Kyat MMK K

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD

10,000 MMK = 4.28 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MMK – Myanmar Kyat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇲 Myanmar Kyat (K)

Myanmar Kyat exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2,094 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD). 1 EUR = 2,338 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.28 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MMK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pathein Phuket 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pathein
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

Pathein vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,019 in Pathein and $1,278 in Phuket, so Pathein is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,528 in Pathein and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $406 in Pathein versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $395 in Pathein versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Pathein – a meal for two runs $20 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Pathein gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.