Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Barisal

For one person, living is cheaper in Barisal: $304 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Barisal
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Barisal Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Barisal

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$304

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Barisal

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $304 in Barisal, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Barisal $304

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $492 in Barisal, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Barisal $492

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $681 in Barisal, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Barisal $681

Phuket costs about 298% more than Barisal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Barisal are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Barisal 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$1.44 ৳178

205.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$10.51 ৳1,298

206.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.34 ৳536

101.84%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 ৳322

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ৳569

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.89 ৳234

49.74%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.29 ৳35.86

210.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.12 ৳14.94

291.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.69 ৳85.4

150.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.63 ৳77.5

133.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.55 ৳67.8

174.55%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.13 ৳140

92.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$6.17 ৳762

219.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.27 ৳280

47.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$6.48 ৳800

72.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.34 ৳289

21.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.92 ৳113

84.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.93 ৳239

13.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.56 ৳68.9

266.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.29 ৳35.34

400.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.46 ৳57.3

200.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.41 ৳51.0

160.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.29 ৳36.17

75.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$6.97 ৳862

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.74 ৳462

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ৳554

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.30 ৳408

29.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.43 ৳52.6

425.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.37 ৳169

119.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.43 ৳53.0

146.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$2.80 ৳345

37.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.06 ৳131

36.79%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$30.1K ৳3.7M

-12.65%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$32.8K ৳4.0M

-17.76%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$20.35 ৳2,514

373.61%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$5.16 ৳638

113.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$10.38 ৳1,282

65.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$7.24 ৳894

620.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.99 ৳1,481

-6.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.86 ৳600

60.70%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$13.34 ৳1,648

4067.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$700 ৳86.5K

1554.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$16.69 ৳2,063

284.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$18.57 ৳2,294

54.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$32.54 ৳4,021

193.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$24.09 ৳2,976

265.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$73.1 ৳9,036

908.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$51.8 ৳6,403

792.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$133 ৳16.4K

1478.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$86.5 ৳10.7K

1288.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$688 ৳85.1K

406.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$309 ৳38.2K

716.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$184 ৳22.7K

172.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.48

-46.85%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barisal: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Barisal

$52 17.1% 88.8% $411

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Barisal

$104 34.2% 61.3% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Barisal

$36 11.8% 71.2% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Barisal

$41 13.6% 66.7% $83

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Barisal

$49 16.1% 59.7% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Barisal

$17 5.6% 75% $51

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Barisal

$5.2 * 1.7% 86.8% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $73.1 in Barisal. 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 173% 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $11.00 in Barisal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $104 – making Barisal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇩 Barisal

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

22:57 10:57 PM

1 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

339,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Barisal 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Barisal

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 Barisal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 298%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $456 in Barisal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $304 in Barisal. That's a gap of about 298%.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $13.34 in Barisal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Barisal, where all-in costs run around $304, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Barisal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Barisal – 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 Barisal. 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.