Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Arrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,800 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Arrest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,800 in Arrest.

Phuket $1,278
Arrest $1,800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,757 in Arrest.

Phuket $2,216
Arrest $2,757

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,713 in Arrest.

Phuket $3,154
Arrest $3,713

Living in Phuket costs roughly 29% less than in Arrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Arrest is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.82 €15.11

-73.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$56.2 €50.5

-42.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.24 €11.90

-33.46%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.97 €2.67

-4.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.05 €2.74

-71.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.08 €1.87

-76.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$8.52 €7.66

-69.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.57 €5.00

-33.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.30 €1.17

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.69 €1.52

-13.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.49 €2.24

-39.76%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.92 €3.52

-46.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.07 €9.05

89.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.03 €10.80

-72.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.92 €14.30

-31.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.99 €2.68

-2.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.03 €2.72

-44.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.46 €1.31

54.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.20 €3.78

-50.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.83 €1.65

-17.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.08 €1.87

-33.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.62 €1.46

-33.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.16 €0.14

225.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$12.64 €11.35

-66.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.56 €4.99

237.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.43 €1.28

27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.59 €1.43

78.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.94 €1.74

-25.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$50.4 €45.31

12.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.27 €2.04

33.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.14 €1.03

-10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$32.61 €29.30

-88.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.17 €1.95

-32.26%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$34.9K €31.3K

-23.25%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$35.8K €32.2K

-25.49%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$200 €180

-51.83%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$32.60 €29.28

-65.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.74 €28.51

-46.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$40.19 €36.10

67.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$15.48 €13.91

-51.55%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$889 €799

-46.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.6K €9,481

6.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$129 €116

-51.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$46.35 €41.63

-38.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$98.9 €88.8

-4.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$158 €142

-45.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$825 €741

-13.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$626 €563

-21.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,536 €1,380

25.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,160 €1,042

23.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,727 €3,348

12.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,368 €3,026

-9.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.9

42.82%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Arrest: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Arrest

$626 34.8% 27.6% $136

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Arrest

$293 16.3% 10.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Arrest

$264 14.7% 112% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Arrest

$195 10.8% 59.7% $73

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Arrest

$284 15.8% 134% $163

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Arrest

$71 4% 13.5% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Arrest

$66 3.7% 6.2% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $825 in Arrest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $56 in Arrest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $293 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇫🇷 Arrest

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

01:12 1:12 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

900

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Arrest 9,810 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Arrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,700 in Arrest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $825 in Arrest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $889 in Arrest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Arrest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,800 in Arrest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Arrest. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 Arrest are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.