Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ao Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Ao Nang: $995 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Ao Nang
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Ao Nang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ao Nang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$995

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ao Nang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Ao Nang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $995 in Ao Nang.

Phuket $1,278
Ao Nang $995

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,506 in Ao Nang.

Phuket $2,216
Ao Nang $1,506

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,018 in Ao Nang.

Phuket $3,154
Ao Nang $2,018

Living in Phuket is roughly 28% more expensive than in Ao Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ao Nang 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.94 ฿99.0

52.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$23.82 ฿803

36.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.07 ฿339

-12.51%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.74 ฿58.6

62.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.67 ฿22.51

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.34 ฿11.55

44.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.09 ฿70.5

22.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.94 ฿99.2

25.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.71 ฿91.5

-38.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.50 ฿50.6

-2.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.40 ฿47.10

7.14%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.65 ฿89.4

-21.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$16.81 ฿567

13.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.59 ฿87.4

27.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.07 ฿339

8.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.98 ฿100

-1.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.06 ฿35.71

59.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.21 ฿74.4

1.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.88 ฿63.5

10.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.50 ฿50.6

0.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.05 ฿35.33

31.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.11 ฿37.55

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.51 ฿17.15

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.37 ฿147

-3.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$17.60 ฿593

6.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.71 ฿57.7

6.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.86 ฿96.4

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.87 ฿29.20

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$36.11 ฿1,217

56.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.15 ฿38.68

162.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.15 ฿38.89

-11.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$6.04 ฿204

-38.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.40 ฿47.26

5.00%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$26.7K ฿899.6K

0.31%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$27.9K ฿940.5K

-4.36%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$105 ฿3,552

-8.58%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.46 ฿285

33.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$20.52 ฿691

-17.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$43.89 ฿1,479

53.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$13.16 ฿443

-18.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.43 ฿217

16.64%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$619 ฿20.9K

-23.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$10.7K ฿361.4K

5.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$50.3 ฿1,693

24.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$29.51 ฿995

-3.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$75.4 ฿2,542

25.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$76.6 ฿2,581

12.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$351 ฿11.8K

103.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$300 ฿10.1K

63.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$940 ฿31.7K

105.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$540 ฿18.2K

164.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,332 ฿78.6K

79.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,954 ฿65.8K

55.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,275 ฿43.0K

-60.61%

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 Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ao Nang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ao Nang

$300 30.2% 38.9% $191

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ao Nang

$258 25.9% 3.1% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ao Nang

$134 13.5% 7.9% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ao Nang

$104 10.5% 14.4% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ao Nang

$95 9.6% 21.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ao Nang

$57 5.7% 31% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ao Nang

$46 4.7% 34.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $351 in Ao Nang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ao Nang pays about 2.5 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $24 in Ao Nang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $258 per month, with Ao Nang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Ao Nang

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Phuket Ao Nang 45 km

From you

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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

Phuket vs Ao Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $995 in Ao Nang, so Ao Nang is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $351 in Ao Nang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ao Nang – a meal for two runs $24 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $995 in Ao Nang – Ao Nang is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $995 in Ao Nang versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Ao Nang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ao Nang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Ao Nang are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ao Nang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.