Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Arak

For one person, living is cheaper in Arak: $480 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Arak
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Arak Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Arak

🇮🇷 Iran

$480

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Arak

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 Arak actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $480 in Arak.

Phuket $1,278
Arak $480

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $755 in Arak.

Phuket $2,216
Arak $755

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,030 in Arak.

Phuket $3,154
Arak $1,030

Living in Phuket is roughly 166% more expensive than in Arak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Arak 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.55 $3.55

25.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$12.88 $12.88

151.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.09 $4.09

115.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 $0.57

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.33 $1.33

112.78%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.51 $0.51

70.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.66 $1.66

-70.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.54 $0.54

207.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.58 $0.58

151.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.96 $1.96

-23.47%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.28 $1.28

63.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$2.14 $2.14

791.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.53 $2.53

30.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.31 $10.31

5.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$0.77 $0.77

280.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.94 $0.94

79.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.63 $0.63

257.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.48 $0.48

333.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.42 $0.42

259.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.44 $0.44

213.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.48 $0.48

122.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.28 $0.28

85.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 $2.17

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.52 $2.52

66.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.10 $0.10

1350.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$9.70 $9.70

484.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.25 $0.25

1108.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.12 $0.12

750.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.02 $1.02

261.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.10 $0.10

1370.00%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$50.3K $50.3K

-46.82%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$35.0K $35.0K

-23.63%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$10.03 $10.03

860.62%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$1.43 $1.43

687.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$4.01 $4.01

320.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$9.93 $9.93

577.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$24.64 $24.64

-56.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.11 $1.11

575.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$83.3 $83.3

471.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,372 $2,372

374.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$13.59 $13.59

358.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$8.51 $8.51

233.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$81.9 $81.9

15.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$52.1 $52.1

64.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$294 $294

143.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$210 $210

134.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$781 $781

146.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$357 $357

300.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,369 $1,369

205.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$647 $647

370.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$375 $375

33.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

18.5

-69.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Arak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Arak

$210 43.7% 57.3% $281

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Arak

$96 20% 63.9% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Arak

$15 3.2% 87.6% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Arak

$70 14.6% 42.4% $52

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Arak

$65 13.6% 46.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Arak

$12 2.5% 85.2% $70

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Arak

$11 2.3% 84.5% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $294 in Arak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 34% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $13 in Arak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $96 per month, with Arak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇷 Arak

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

01:19 1:19 AM

3 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

526,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Arak 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Arak

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 Arak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arak is about 62% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 34% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $294 in Arak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $480 in Arak – Arak is about 62% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Arak runs roughly 83% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $480 in Arak versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Arak but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Arak 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.

Expats usually find Arak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.