Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bac Ninh

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Ninh: $457 a month against $1,301 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Bac Ninh
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Bac Ninh Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,301

/mo nomad

Bac Ninh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,301 per month in Phuket vs $457 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Phuket $1,301
Bac Ninh $457

A couple spends around $2,238 per month in Phuket vs $743 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Phuket $2,238
Bac Ninh $743

A family of three spends $3,175 per month in Phuket vs $1,028 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Phuket $3,175
Bac Ninh $1,028

Phuket costs about 184% more than Bac Ninh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Bac Ninh are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 3% lower, Bac Ninh 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿150

$1.15 ₫29.5K

288.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.98 ฿1,108

$23.01 ₫589.0K

43.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 ฿284

$2.60 ₫66.7K

225.38%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ฿92.0

$1.15 ₫29.6K

138.26%

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

$0.97 ฿32.57

$0.26 ₫6,595

273.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.54

$0.22 ₫5,534

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$0.72 ₫18.4K

251.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.00 ₫25.7K

268.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿56.2

$1.57 ₫40.1K

6.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.01 ₫25.9K

39.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$0.78 ₫19.9K

105.13%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.9

$1.49 ₫38.2K

45.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.79 ฿665

$11.72 ₫299.9K

68.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 ฿114

$3.71 ₫95.1K

-8.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ฿371

$9.70 ₫248.2K

13.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.4

$3.06 ₫78.3K

-4.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.01 ₫25.9K

67.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 ฿77.0

$1.31 ₫33.7K

74.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿72.4

$1.08 ₫27.6K

99.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.1

$0.91 ₫23.3K

67.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.36

$1.19 ₫30.5K

10.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.75

$0.54 ₫13.9K

107.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.46

$0.52 ₫13.4K

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.40 ₫36.0K

209.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 ฿621

$11.04 ₫282.5K

67.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿59.3

$0.86 ₫22.0K

104.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.4

$1.62 ₫41.4K

71.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ฿49.33

$0.41 ₫10.4K

258.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ฿51.1

$0.90 ₫23.1K

68.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 ฿24.46

$0.61 ₫15.5K

19.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.32 ₫59.5K

65.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.76

$0.90 ₫23.1K

64.44%

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

$27.0K ฿907.3K

$30.8K ₫787.2M

-12.21%

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

$26.5K ฿891.1K

$29.5K ₫754.8M

-10.07%

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

$101 ฿3,383

$84.7 ₫2.2M

18.90%

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

$11.17 ฿375

$5.12 ₫131.0K

118.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.33 ฿582

$6.95 ₫177.8K

149.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ฿2,438

$11.93 ₫305.3K

508.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.26 ฿513

$7.98 ₫204.2K

91.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 ฿264

$3.21 ₫82.0K

144.86%

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

$542 ฿18.2K

$716 ₫18.3M

-24.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.2K

$12.8K ₫328.6M

46.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 ฿2,100

$46.36 ₫1.2M

34.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.83 ฿969

$29.33 ₫750.7K

-1.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,294

$83.8 ₫2.1M

16.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.1 ฿2,994

$74.8 ₫1.9M

19.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.8K

$692 ₫17.7M

6.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ฿16.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 ฿65.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 ฿47.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,216 ฿141.7K

$1,691 ₫43.3M

149.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,296 ฿110.7K

$792 ₫20.3M

316.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 ฿16.7K

$384 ₫9.8M

29.11%

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 9, 2026

Last update for Bac Ninh: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$503 38.6%

Bac Ninh

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 20.7%

Bac Ninh

$193 42.2% 28.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$129 9.9%

Bac Ninh

$97 21.2% 25.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 9.6%

Bac Ninh

$105 23.1% 15.8% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Bac Ninh

$38 8.4% 68% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$88 6.8%

Bac Ninh

$18 4% 79.2% $70

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Bac Ninh

$5.6 * 1.2% 91.6% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $738 in Phuket versus $692 in Bac Ninh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 29% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Phuket versus $23 in Bac Ninh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $193 – making Bac Ninh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Bac Ninh

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

288,766

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.91 USD

100,000 VND = 3.5 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 33.6 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 11, 2026: 1 USD = 25,594 VND (100,000 VND = 3.91 USD). 1 EUR = 28,593 VND (100,000 VND = 3.5 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bac Ninh 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bac Ninh

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 Ninh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 184% more than Bac Ninh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,951 per month in Phuket and $686 in Bac Ninh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $738 in Phuket and $692 in Bac Ninh. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Phuket and $23 in Bac Ninh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bac Ninh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Phuket at $1,301. In Bac Ninh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $457 in Bac Ninh to $1,301 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Bac Ninh. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.