Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bandar Abbas

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandar Abbas: $575 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Bandar Abbas, Iran
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Bandar Abbas
🇮🇷 Iran
$575
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bandar Abbas

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $575 in Bandar Abbas, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Bandar Abbas $575

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $888 in Bandar Abbas, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Bandar Abbas $888

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,200 in Bandar Abbas, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Bandar Abbas $1,200

Phuket costs about 125% more than Bandar Abbas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Bandar Abbas are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Bandar Abbas 57% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Bandar Abbas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿147
$2.92 $2.92
50.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,080
$16.17 $16.17
99.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿291
$3.89 $3.89
123.65%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.69 $0.69
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.06 $1.06
-
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.1
$1.12 $1.12
142.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.11
$0.52 $0.52
78.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.70
$1.02 $1.02
-50.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿84.6
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿121
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Bandar Abbas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.2
$0.66 $0.66
163.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.51
$0.51 $0.51
184.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.2
$2.03 $2.03
-26.11%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.6
$1.23 $1.23
76.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿638
$4.34 $4.34
339.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$3.32 $3.32
2.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿364
$10.42 $10.42
4.61%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.3
$1.08 $1.08
172.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.6
$1.53 $1.53
10.46%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.4
$0.86 $0.86
154.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.0
$0.57 $0.57
271.93%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿48.77
$0.55 $0.55
165.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.74
$0.47 $0.47
191.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿35.98
$0.56 $0.56
92.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.24
$0.24 $0.24
129.17%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$0.82 $0.82
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.55 $0.55
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.35 $1.35
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿148
$2.51 $2.51
76.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿610
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.3
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.3
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Bandar Abbas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.40
$0.17 $0.17
752.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,835
$9.44 $9.44
481.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.6
$0.38 $0.38
297.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿25.94
$0.29 $0.29
168.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿128
$2.52 $2.52
52.38%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.74
$0.09 $0.09
1555.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿898.9K
$50.9K $50.9K
-47.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿881.0K
$45.0K $45.0K
-41.44%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Bandar Abbas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,271
$13.27 $13.27
637.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿378
$1.53 $1.53
637.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿575
$3.94 $3.94
336.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Bandar Abbas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,285
$18.33 $18.33
272.78%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿365
$13.38 $13.38
-18.39%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿248
$2.03 $2.03
266.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Bandar Abbas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.7K
$108 $108
392.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿628.1K
$2,422 $2,422
675.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Bandar Abbas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,062
$22.79 $22.79
170.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿945
$28.68 $28.68
-1.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,210
$96.0 $96.0
-0.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,903
$73.3 $73.3
18.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Bandar Abbas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.1K
$343 $343
110.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.0K
$254 $254
100.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.2K
$811 $811
140.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿46.7K
$407 $407
243.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿140.2K
$1,150 $1,150
264.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.3K
$546 $546
504.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Bandar Abbas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.4K
$180 $180
173.64%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
24.3
-77.08%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bandar Abbas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Bandar Abbas
$254 50% $255
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Bandar Abbas
$114 57.2% $153
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Bandar Abbas
$19 85.2% $108
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Bandar Abbas
$99 19.1% $23
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Bandar Abbas
$55 54.3% $65
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Bandar Abbas
$22 73.1% $61
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Bandar Abbas
$12 82% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $343 in Bandar Abbas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $16 in Bandar Abbas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $114 – making Bandar Abbas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇷 Bandar Abbas
🕒 Local time
14:43 2:43 PM
11:13 11:13 AM
3 h 30 min behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
526,648
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Bandar Abbas 4,920 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Bandar Abbas

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 Bandar Abbas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bandar Abbas cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 125%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $863 in Bandar Abbas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bandar Abbas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $721 in Phuket.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Bandar Abbas?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $575 in Bandar Abbas. That makes Bandar Abbas about 56% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 83% less in Bandar Abbas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Bandar Abbas?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bandar Abbas, where all-in costs run around $575, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Bandar Abbas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Phuket or Bandar Abbas more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Bandar Abbas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Bandar Abbas?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Bandar Abbas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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