Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phnom Penh and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Phnom Penh: $1,083 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,083

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,083 per month in Phnom Penh vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,083
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,778 per month in Phnom Penh vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Phnom Penh $1,778
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,474 per month in Phnom Penh vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Phnom Penh $2,474
Phuket $3,154

Phnom Penh is about 15% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phnom Penh and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Phnom Penh 20% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ៛18.5K

$4.47 ฿151

1.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.42 ៛164.7K

$32.41 ฿1,094

24.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 ៛28.6K

$8.81 ฿297

-20.43%

Cappuccino

$2.84 ៛11.6K

$2.83 ฿95.5

0.35%

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

$1.72 ៛6,999

$0.87 ฿29.43

97.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ៛2,726

$0.49 ฿16.67

36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,186

$2.56 ฿86.4

-59.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ៛12.4K

$3.68 ฿124

-17.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 ៛9,281

$1.66 ฿56.0

37.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ៛6,535

$1.46 ฿49.35

9.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ៛4,377

$1.50 ฿50.6

-28.67%

Eggs

$1.82 ៛7,427

$2.09 ฿70.5

-12.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 ៛59.9K

$19.07 ฿644

-22.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 ៛18.1K

$3.30 ฿111

34.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.63 ៛39.2K

$10.91 ฿368

-11.73%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 ៛16.9K

$2.93 ฿99.0

41.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ៛6,946

$1.69 ฿57.1

0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 ៛18.3K

$2.25 ฿75.8

99.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 ៛8,216

$2.08 ฿70.1

-2.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 ៛6,996

$1.51 ฿51.0

13.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ៛5,124

$1.38 ฿46.56

-8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ៛5,657

$1.07 ฿35.99

29.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,146

$0.52 ฿17.52

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ៛7,931

$4.20 ฿142

-53.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 ៛45.4K

$18.79 ฿634

-40.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 ៛4,121

$1.82 ฿61.5

-44.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ៛7,294

$2.84 ฿95.9

-36.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ៛1,560

$1.45 ฿49.03

-73.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.88 ៛40.2K

$56.7 ฿1,913

-82.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ៛4,462

$3.02 ฿102

-63.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,125

$1.02 ฿34.36

-0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 ៛20.4K

$3.69 ฿125

36.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ៛5,551

$1.47 ฿49.81

-7.48%

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

$34.8K ៛141.8M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

30.00%

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

$44.6K ៛181.9M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

67.26%

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

$118 ៛481.7K

$96.4 ฿3,254

22.71%

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

$7.32 ៛29.8K

$11.26 ฿380

-34.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.26 ៛102.9K

$16.85 ฿569

49.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ៛154.6K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-43.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.05 ៛45.0K

$10.73 ฿362

2.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 ៛20.7K

$7.50 ฿253

-32.13%

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

$597 ៛2.4M

$476 ฿16.1K

25.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K ៛45.3M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-1.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.17 ៛114.7K

$62.4 ฿2,106

-54.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.25 ៛98.8K

$28.41 ฿959

-14.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 ៛367.4K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-4.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.1 ៛236.5K

$85.8 ฿2,898

-32.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 ៛2.7M

$716 ฿24.2K

-8.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ៛1.7M

$491 ฿16.6K

-17.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 ៛5.9M

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-25.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$950 ៛3.9M

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-33.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,710 ៛11.0M

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-35.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,523 ៛6.2M

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-49.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$315 ៛1.3M

$502 ฿17.0K

-37.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.94

5.57

42.55%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: 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

Phnom Penh

$406 37.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 20.9% $85

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$258 23.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 3.2% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$151 13.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 17.5% $26

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$112 10.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.4% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$90 8.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$48 4.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 70.8% $34

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 302% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $658 in Phnom Penh 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 run about 59% higher in Phuket. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Phnom Penh versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Phnom Penh vs $266 in Phuket – so Phnom Penh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

Same time as Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.21 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,534 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.21 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).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phnom Penh Phuket 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phnom Penh
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

Phnom Penh vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,625 per month in Phnom Penh and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $658 in Phnom Penh and $716 in Phuket. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Phnom Penh and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,083 in Phnom Penh and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phnom Penh costs $1,083 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Phnom Penh. 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.