Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pathum Thani and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Pathum Thani: $785 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Pathum Thani
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Pathum Thani Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Pathum Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$785

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $785 per month in Pathum Thani vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Pathum Thani $785
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $1,329 per month in Pathum Thani vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Pathum Thani $1,329
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $1,873 per month in Pathum Thani vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Pathum Thani $1,873
Phuket $2,867

Pathum Thani is about 35% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pathum Thani and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Pathum Thani 42% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.79 ฿59.9

$4.58 ฿153

-60.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.25 ฿744

$32.48 ฿1,086

-31.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 ฿197

$8.55 ฿286

-30.99%

Cappuccino

$1.73 ฿58.0

$2.72 ฿91.0

-36.40%

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

$0.42 ฿14.03

$0.94 ฿31.25

-55.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.18 ฿6.05

$0.49 ฿16.39

-63.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.59 ฿86.6

-33.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.83 ฿128

-44.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.07

$1.74 ฿58.1

-15.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ฿44.22

$1.43 ฿47.82

-7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 ฿41.03

$1.53 ฿51.0

-19.61%

Eggs

$1.80 ฿60.2

$2.17 ฿72.7

-17.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 ฿418

$19.15 ฿640

-34.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.43 ฿81.1

$3.30 ฿110

-26.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.06 ฿403

$11.14 ฿372

8.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.60 ฿120

$2.95 ฿98.5

22.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.96 ฿31.93

$1.68 ฿56.1

-42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 ฿83.3

$2.30 ฿76.8

8.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ฿52.8

$2.13 ฿71.3

-25.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 ฿66.0

$1.53 ฿51.1

28.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.74

$1.36 ฿45.55

-23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 ฿25.70

$1.12 ฿37.44

-31.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.85

$0.55 ฿18.24

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 ฿151

$4.26 ฿142

6.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.87 ฿464

$18.19 ฿608

-23.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 ฿50.3

$1.74 ฿58.2

-13.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.79 ฿93.3

-40.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 ฿20.07

$2.22 ฿74.1

-72.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ฿35.28

$2.91 ฿97.3

-63.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.01 ฿33.79

51.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ฿293

$3.83 ฿128

128.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ฿38.69

$1.49 ฿49.85

-22.15%

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

$17.5K ฿585.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-34.32%

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

$23.9K ฿797.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-10.63%

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

$82.3 ฿2,751

$99.4 ฿3,321

-17.16%

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

$9.23 ฿309

$11.28 ฿377

-18.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.22 ฿341

$17.36 ฿580

-41.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.61 ฿990

$52.3 ฿1,747

-43.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$6.63 ฿222

$7.57 ฿253

-12.42%

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

$196 ฿6,543

$558 ฿18.7K

-64.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ฿357.5K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-6.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$5.91 ฿198

$62.9 ฿2,102

-90.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.81 ฿1,197

$28.58 ฿955

25.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.5 ฿2,388

$96.1 ฿3,213

-25.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.8 ฿1,765

$88.1 ฿2,943

-40.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ฿15.1K

$729 ฿24.4K

-37.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 ฿8,805

$460 ฿15.4K

-42.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 ฿49.3K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-29.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.6K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-39.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,477 ฿149.6K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

29.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,199 ฿73.5K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-11.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$396 ฿13.2K

$493 ฿16.5K

-19.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Pathum Thani: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pathum Thani

$263 33.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 74.6% $197

Groceries & Markets

Pathum Thani

$223 28.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 20.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pathum Thani

$102 13%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 25.8% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Pathum Thani

$75 9.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 66.1% $49

Eating Out

Pathum Thani

$68 8.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 78% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Pathum Thani

$43 5.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 57.3% $25

Getting Around

Pathum Thani

$11 * 1.4%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 250% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Pathum Thani versus $729 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 run about 25% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Pathum Thani versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $268 – making Pathum Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pathum Thani

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

Same time as Pathum Thani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,320

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pathum Thani Phuket 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pathum Thani
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

Pathum Thani vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 54%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,177 per month in Pathum Thani and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pathum Thani, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $785 in Pathum Thani and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 54%.

Kindergarten costs $196 per month in Pathum Thani and $558 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 Pathum Thani, where all-in costs run around $785, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Pathum Thani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pathum Thani – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Pathum Thani. 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.