Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bac Kan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Kan: $819 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Bac Kan
Learn more

Bac Kan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Bac Kan

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bac Kan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $819 in Bac Kan.

Phuket $1,294
Bac Kan $819

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,293 in Bac Kan.

Phuket $2,204
Bac Kan $1,293

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,768 in Bac Kan.

Phuket $3,115
Bac Kan $1,768

Living in Phuket is roughly 58% more expensive than in Bac Kan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Bac Kan 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$1.99 ₫51.4K

120.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$23.09 ₫594.9K

39.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$4.54 ₫116.9K

91.63%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$1.88 ₫48.4K

44.68%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.49 ₫12.6K

89.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.33 ₫8,591

51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$1.19 ₫30.7K

112.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.97 ₫50.8K

84.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.52 ₫39.2K

14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.01 ₫25.9K

43.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.81 ₫21.0K

85.19%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.52 ₫39.1K

42.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$12.08 ₫311.1K

58.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.70 ₫95.4K

-8.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$9.27 ₫238.8K

17.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$3.18 ₫82.0K

-7.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.02 ₫26.4K

65.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.30 ₫33.5K

68.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.12 ₫28.8K

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$0.91 ₫23.4K

60.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.15 ₫29.5K

19.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.59 ₫15.2K

83.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.53 ₫13.7K

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$1.40 ₫36.0K

216.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$10.61 ₫273.4K

72.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$0.92 ₫23.8K

92.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.63 ₫42.0K

76.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.35 ₫9,037

314.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$7.71 ₫198.5K

611.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.92 ₫23.7K

64.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.60 ₫15.5K

30.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$2.40 ₫61.8K

60.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$0.91 ₫23.5K

63.74%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$30.7K ₫790.2M

-12.37%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$28.8K ₫743.0M

-8.65%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$83.5 ₫2.2M

17.18%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$4.92 ₫126.8K

129.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$8.79 ₫226.4K

95.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$17.75 ₫457.3K

284.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$7.94 ₫204.7K

37.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$4.52 ₫116.5K

64.38%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$333 ₫8.6M

59.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$29.3K ₫755.6M

-35.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$44.64 ₫1.1M

38.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$28.13 ₫724.7K

0.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$84.8 ₫2.2M

13.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$73.1 ₫1.9M

18.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$452 ₫11.6M

59.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$320 ₫8.2M

58.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$606 ₫15.6M

222.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$660 ₫17.0M

111.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,473 ₫63.7M

69.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,146 ₫29.5M

187.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.17

-31.82%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bac Kan: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Bac Kan

$320 39.1% 37.1% $189

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Bac Kan

$193 23.5% 27.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Bac Kan

$97 11.9% 23.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Bac Kan

$104 12.7% 15.4% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Bac Kan

$65 8% 45.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Bac Kan

$27 3.3% 67.8% $56

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Bac Kan

$13 1.6% 80.3% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $452 in Bac Kan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $23 in Bac Kan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $193 per month, with Bac Kan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Bac Kan

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

38,510

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,880 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bac Kan 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bac Kan

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 Bac Kan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bac Kan is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,229 in Bac Kan 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: $721 in Phuket versus $452 in Bac Kan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bac Kan – a meal for two runs $23 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $819 in Bac Kan – Bac Kan is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $819 in Bac Kan versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bac Kan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bac Kan 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 Bac Kan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bac Kan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.