Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Banos

For one person, living is cheaper in Banos: $818 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Banos
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Banos Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Banos

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Banos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $818 in Banos.

Phuket $1,294
Banos $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,291 in Banos.

Phuket $2,204
Banos $1,291

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,764 in Banos.

Phuket $3,115
Banos $1,764

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$2.80 $2.80

56.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$29.80 $29.80

8.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$5.15 $5.15

68.93%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.56 $2.56

6.25%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.93 $0.93

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.73 $0.73

-31.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$3.05 $3.05

-17.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.04 $2.04

77.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.00 $1.00

74.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.92 $1.92

-24.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.86 $0.86

74.42%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.46 $1.46

48.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$6.81 $6.81

180.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$4.99 $4.99

-31.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$5.84 $5.84

86.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.47 $1.47

100.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.52 $0.52

225.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$0.98 $0.98

123.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$0.95 $0.95

123.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$0.52 $0.52

180.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$0.98 $0.98

39.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.51 $0.51

111.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.01 $1.01

-45.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$6.08 $6.08

-27.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$12.07 $12.07

51.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.51 $1.51

17.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.18 $2.18

32.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.34 $0.34

326.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.27 $1.27

18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.23 $1.23

-36.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$12.13 $12.13

-68.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$0.89 $0.89

67.42%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$22.8K $22.8K

17.70%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$30.4K $30.4K

-13.29%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$34.10 $34.10

186.83%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$14.95 $14.95

-24.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$26.04 $26.04

-33.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$29.70 $29.70

130.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$16.62 $16.62

-34.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.72 $7.72

-3.76%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$365 $365

45.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$5,664 $5,664

231.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$65.4 $65.4

-5.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$41.16 $41.16

-31.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$125 $125

-23.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$93.2 $93.2

-6.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$424 $424

70.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$274 $274

85.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$824 $824

136.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$510 $510

173.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.05

-44.58%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Banos: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Banos

$274 33.5% 46.1% $235

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Banos

$174 21.3% 34.7% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Banos

$75 9.2% 40.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Banos

$146 17.9% 19.2% $24

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Banos

$95 11.6% 20.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Banos

$45 5.5% 45.7% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Banos

$8.8 * 1.1% 86.8% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $424 in Banos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $30 in Banos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $174 per month, with Banos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇨 Banos

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

17:02 5:02 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,501

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 USD = 0.894 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Banos 19,210 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Banos

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 Banos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Banos wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Banos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,227 in Banos 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 $424 in Banos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $365 in Banos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Banos – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Banos is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Banos delivers better value at $818 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Banos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Banos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.