Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Arenal Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Arenal

πŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Phuket is 23.2% cheaper than Arenal without rent, and 22.3% cheaper with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Phuket is 15.1% cheaper than Arenal without rent, and 0.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Arenal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.68 ΰΈΏ151
$10.9 β‚‘5,456
-57.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.4 ΰΈΏ1,502
$58.6 β‚‘29.3K
-20.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.65 ΰΈΏ280
$9.82 β‚‘4,918
-11.91%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ΰΈΏ100
$3.8 β‚‘1,904
-18.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ΰΈΏ23.53
$1.98 β‚‘990
-63.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ΰΈΏ11.95
$1.61 β‚‘805
-77.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 ΰΈΏ77.4
$3 β‚‘1,502
-20.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 ΰΈΏ117
$4.73 β‚‘2,367
-23.47%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Arenal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 ΰΈΏ72.5
$2.06 β‚‘1,033
8.74%
White Bread (500g)
$1.8 ΰΈΏ58.2
$2.85 β‚‘1,428
-36.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 ΰΈΏ72.3
$2.22 β‚‘1,112
0.90%
Eggs
$2.23 ΰΈΏ72.1
$2.93 β‚‘1,469
-23.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.31 ΰΈΏ625
$9.74 β‚‘4,874
98.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.77 ΰΈΏ122
$9.08 β‚‘4,546
-58.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.05 ΰΈΏ422
$13.84 β‚‘6,931
-5.71%
Apples (1kg)
$3.28 ΰΈΏ106
$4.4 β‚‘2,203
-25.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 ΰΈΏ52.6
$1.51 β‚‘756
7.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.4 ΰΈΏ77.7
$4.36 β‚‘2,183
-44.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ΰΈΏ64.3
$3.55 β‚‘1,779
-43.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ΰΈΏ49.62
$3.52 β‚‘1,765
-56.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 ΰΈΏ48.11
$3.21 β‚‘1,605
-53.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ΰΈΏ32.87
$0.97 β‚‘484
5.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ΰΈΏ15.61
$2.85 β‚‘1,427
-83.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 ΰΈΏ140
$5.38 β‚‘2,695
-19.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.68 ΰΈΏ702
$18.66 β‚‘9,343
16.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ΰΈΏ57.3
$2.52 β‚‘1,259
-29.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ΰΈΏ90.4
$2.95 β‚‘1,476
-5.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Arenal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 ΰΈΏ43.74
$1.04 β‚‘520
29.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ΰΈΏ380
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 ΰΈΏ102
$1.78 β‚‘891
76.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1 ΰΈΏ32.3
$1.84 β‚‘921
-45.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.64 ΰΈΏ442
$8.11 β‚‘4,058
68.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 ΰΈΏ42.2
$1.4 β‚‘700
-7.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ΰΈΏ885.2K
$37.7K β‚‘18.9M
-27.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K ΰΈΏ1.1M
$33.1K β‚‘16.6M
2.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Arenal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 ΰΈΏ3,970
$94.5 β‚‘47.3K
29.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ΰΈΏ451
$25.71 β‚‘12.9K
-45.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.24 ΰΈΏ590
$59.1 β‚‘29.6K
-69.16%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Arenal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.8 ΰΈΏ1,966
$57.8 β‚‘28.9K
5.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.11 ΰΈΏ554
$23.97 β‚‘12K
-28.62%
Cinema Ticket
$9.07 ΰΈΏ294
$9.73 β‚‘4,873
-6.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Arenal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$694 ΰΈΏ22.5K
$561 β‚‘280.7K
23.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ΰΈΏ514.4K
$12.7K β‚‘6.4M
24.95%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Arenal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 ΰΈΏ1,861
$61.6 β‚‘30.8K
-6.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.51 ΰΈΏ1,117
$52.4 β‚‘26.2K
-34.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 ΰΈΏ3,727
$126 β‚‘63.1K
-8.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ΰΈΏ2,743
$108 β‚‘54K
-21.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Arenal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ΰΈΏ19.8K
$759 β‚‘380.1K
-19.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$442 ΰΈΏ14.3K
$597 β‚‘299K
-25.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 ΰΈΏ65.2K
$1,533 β‚‘767.2K
31.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,460 ΰΈΏ47.2K
$968 β‚‘484.4K
50.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,244 ΰΈΏ137.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,886 ΰΈΏ93.4K
-
-
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Arenal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$697 ΰΈΏ22.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
10.17
-47.59%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

Last update for Arenal: October 27, 2025

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