Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Battambang Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Battambang

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $665 in Battambang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Phuket versus $1,046 in Battambang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Phuket versus $1,426 in Battambang.

Living in Phuket is roughly 85% more expensive than in Battambang, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 10% lower, Battambang 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$2.52 ៛10.2K

75.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,077

$18.10 ៛73.3K

78.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿298

$6.52 ៛26.4K

36.96%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.6

$1.35 ៛5,470

114.81%

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

$0.88 ฿29.38

$0.67 ៛2,722

31.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$0.49 ៛1,967

-2.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.5

$0.90 ៛3,653

161.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$2.27 ៛9,172

63.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.3

$2.19 ៛8,875

-14.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.94

$0.98 ៛3,979

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.8

$0.99 ៛4,003

56.57%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.1

$1.75 ៛7,069

20.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿654

$15.01 ៛60.8K

30.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$2.31 ៛9,367

48.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿380

$9.31 ៛37.7K

22.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.6

$3.86 ៛15.6K

-22.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.2

$1.27 ៛5,157

32.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.7

$4.10 ៛16.6K

-46.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.1

$2.19 ៛8,845

-1.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$1.55 ៛6,291

-1.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.67

$1.10 ៛4,450

21.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.67

$0.79 ៛3,185

43.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.74 ៛2,991

-25.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.86 ៛7,543

129.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿637

$11.03 ៛44.7K

73.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.4

$0.60 ៛2,441

196.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$1.02 ៛4,138

172.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.4

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿759

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$0.90 ៛3,654

236.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.15

$0.87 ៛3,510

17.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$4.89 ៛19.8K

-20.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.77

$1.26 ៛5,084

18.25%

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

$26.6K ฿887.3K

$35.1K ៛142.2M

-24.31%

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

$27.0K ฿902.2K

$34.4K ៛139.2M

-21.37%

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

$102 ฿3,420

$65.2 ៛263.8K

57.21%

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

$11.33 ฿378

$2.69 ៛10.9K

321.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿581

$25.33 ៛102.5K

-31.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,738

$22.24 ៛90.0K

134.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿370

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$4.91 ៛19.9K

56.62%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$89.2 ៛361.1K

528.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿384.1K

$3,893 ៛15.8M

195.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,104

$19.60 ៛79.4K

221.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿986

$23.85 ៛96.5K

23.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,272

$92.3 ៛373.4K

6.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,954

$44.21 ៛179.0K

100.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.6K

$229 ៛928.7K

221.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.1K

$149 ៛601.4K

224.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.3K

$423 ៛1.7M

397.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.9K

$326 ៛1.3M

275.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

$201 ៛814.3K

145.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.25

-23.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Last update for Battambang: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $738 in Phuket and $229 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 145% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Battambang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $228 per month, with Battambang cheaper across the board.

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 Battambang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Battambang wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Battambang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 145% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $738 in Phuket versus $229 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $561 in Phuket versus $89.2 in Battambang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Battambang – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $665 in Battambang versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Battambang but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Battambang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Battambang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $665 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Battambang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Battambang 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 Battambang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.