Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bangkok

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangkok: $1,112 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,112

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bangkok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,112 in Bangkok.

Phuket $1,208
Bangkok $1,112

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,788 in Bangkok.

Phuket $2,027
Bangkok $1,788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,464 in Bangkok.

Phuket $2,845
Bangkok $2,464

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than in Bangkok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Bangkok 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.95 ฿98.7

49.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$35.13 ฿1,174

-8.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.33 ฿245

19.51%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.73 ฿91.3

3.66%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.62 ฿20.78

45.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.36 ฿12.17

30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.63 ฿87.9

-3.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.35 ฿145

-11.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.85 ฿61.8

-6.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.51 ฿50.5

-2.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.34 ฿44.72

12.69%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.62 ฿87.4

-17.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$17.10 ฿572

15.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.67 ฿123

-8.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$12.83 ฿429

-13.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.73 ฿125

-23.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.74 ฿58.2

-2.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.79 ฿93.2

-21.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.88 ฿62.9

9.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.75 ฿58.4

-17.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.49 ฿49.68

-7.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.24 ฿41.51

-13.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.55 ฿18.22

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.73 ฿158

-9.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$15.10 ฿505

23.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.77 ฿59.0

0.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.18 ฿106

-10.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.11 ฿37.19

103.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$34.46 ฿1,152

-35.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.06 ฿35.47

183.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.15 ฿38.60

-7.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$5.81 ฿194

-33.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.41 ฿47.14

2.84%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$31.7K ฿1.1M

-17.06%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$26.6K ฿887.8K

1.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$108 ฿3,612

-10.83%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$15.14 ฿506

-27.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$18.15 ฿607

-5.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$55.6 ฿1,857

-6.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$18.54 ฿620

-39.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$7.82 ฿261

-0.13%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$569 ฿19.0K

-2.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$16.7K ฿557.0K

-30.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$70.9 ฿2,371

-9.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$42.61 ฿1,424

-32.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$101 ฿3,361

-5.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$107 ฿3,560

-17.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$673 ฿22.5K

9.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$333 ฿11.1K

38.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,982 ฿66.2K

5.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$732 ฿24.5K

64.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$6,236 ฿208.4K

-44.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$3,096 ฿103.5K

-18.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$626 ฿20.9K

-19.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bangkok: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Bangkok

$333 30% 27.9% $129

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Bangkok

$272 24.5% 1.4% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Bangkok

$141 12.7% 13.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Bangkok

$144 13% 16.1% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Bangkok

$104 9.4% 14.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Bangkok

$71 6.4% 5% $3.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Bangkok

$46 4.1% 16% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $673 in Bangkok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangkok pays 25% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $35.00 in Bangkok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $272 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,666,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Bangkok 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bangkok

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 Bangkok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Bangkok differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $1,112 including rent). Bangkok is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Bangkok. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $673 in Bangkok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bangkok – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $1,112 in Bangkok – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,112 in Bangkok versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bangkok but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bangkok 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 Bangkok are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bangkok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.