Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bacong Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bacong

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,232 per month in Phuket vs $636 in Bacong, rent included.

A couple spends around $2,054 per month in Phuket vs $986 in Bacong, rent included.

A family of three spends $2,876 per month in Phuket vs $1,336 in Bacong, rent included.

Phuket costs about 94% more than Bacong, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both Phuket and Bacong are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 10% lower, Bacong 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$2.83 ₱178

55.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,074

$19.42 ₱1,220

66.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿297

$3.24 ₱204

175.62%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.4

$1.99 ₱125

45.73%

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

$0.88 ฿29.30

$0.63 ₱39.55

39.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.01

$0.33 ₱20.77

45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.3

$0.86 ₱53.8

173.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$1.78 ₱112

108.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.1

$1.66 ₱104

12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.81

$1.21 ₱76.3

21.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.7

$0.91 ₱56.9

70.33%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.0

$2.06 ₱129

1.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿652

$6.08 ₱382

222.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$4.15 ₱261

-17.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿379

$6.10 ₱383

86.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.3

$3.32 ₱209

-10.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.07 ₱67.0

57.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.5

$3.02 ₱190

-26.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.0

$1.39 ₱87.1

55.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.8

$2.29 ₱144

-33.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.55

$2.72 ₱171

-50.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.57

$1.40 ₱87.7

-19.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.19

$0.78 ₱48.89

-29.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.96 ₱186

43.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿635

$6.20 ₱389

207.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.2

$1.08 ₱67.9

64.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.6

$1.26 ₱79.1

120.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.2

$0.23 ₱14.66

869.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿757

$11.47 ₱721

98.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$0.71 ₱44.59

326.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.06

$0.34 ₱21.23

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$2.35 ₱148

65.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.63

$0.90 ₱56.8

65.56%

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

$26.6K ฿884.9K

$21.5K ₱1.3M

23.72%

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

$27.0K ฿899.8K

$19.4K ₱1.2M

39.33%

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

$102 ฿3,411

$50.6 ₱3,178

102.59%

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

$11.33 ฿377

$9.51 ₱597

19.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿579

$26.70 ₱1,678

-34.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,734

$31.95 ₱2,007

63.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿369

$4.71 ₱296

135.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿256

$4.84 ₱304

58.88%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$31.43 ₱1,975

1683.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.0K

$6,846 ₱430.1K

68.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,098

$31.79 ₱1,997

98.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿983

$19.51 ₱1,226

51.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,263

$55.7 ₱3,501

75.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,946

$23.46 ₱1,474

277.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.6K

$150 ₱9,425

392.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.1K

$173 ₱10.8K

179.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.1K

$423 ₱26.5K

398.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.8K

$302 ₱19.0K

306.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.4K

$2,495 ₱156.8K

44.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.7K

$1,180 ₱74.1K

120.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.33

-24.01%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Last update for Bacong: September 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $738 in Phuket versus $150 in Bacong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $19.00 in Bacong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $187 – making Bacong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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 Bacong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 94%, and the gap shows up most in Groceries & Markets. It's not just housing either; the difference applies across most spending categories.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,847 per month in Phuket and $955 in Bacong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacong, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $19.00 in Bacong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,232 in Phuket and $636 in Bacong. The difference isn't just one category – it shows up across housing, food, transport, and services.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bacong, where all-in costs run around $636, than in Phuket at $1,232. In Bacong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bacong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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