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: $1,250 in Phuket versus $640 in Battambang.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,006 in Battambang.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $1,373 in Battambang.

Living in Phuket is roughly 95% more expensive than in Battambang, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Battambang 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$2.49 ៛10.0K

82.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$18.27 ៛73.7K

152.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$5.70 ៛23.0K

55.09%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$1.52 ៛6,117

101.32%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$0.63 ៛2,544

15.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.48 ៛1,936

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$0.72 ៛2,904

237.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$1.52 ៛6,115

148.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$2.08 ៛8,396

8.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.46 ៛5,871

23.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.02 ៛4,093

120.59%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$1.83 ៛7,385

22.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$12.76 ៛51.4K

52.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$4.20 ៛16.9K

-13.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$10.44 ៛42.1K

25.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$2.53 ៛10.2K

27.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.54 ៛6,227

5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$2.29 ៛9,217

3.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$1.51 ៛6,077

34.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$1.54 ៛6,204

-0.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.25 ៛5,049

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.45 ៛5,829

-32.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.48 ៛1,941

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$1.98 ៛7,987

124.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$11.18 ៛45.1K

63.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$0.83 ៛3,359

124.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$1.02 ៛4,108

162.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$0.99 ៛3,989

214.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$1.02 ៛4,101

1.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$4.09 ៛16.5K

244.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.16 ៛4,692

12.93%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$48.3K ៛194.8M

-42.45%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$37.4K ៛150.9M

-11.26%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$52.7 ៛212.6K

132.16%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$1.46 ៛5,897

830.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$23.75 ៛95.7K

-21.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$22.21 ៛89.5K

172.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$4.39 ៛17.7K

106.61%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$90.3 ៛364.2K

681.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$3,904 ៛15.7M

304.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$20.10 ៛81.0K

191.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$22.47 ៛90.6K

57.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$44.51 ៛179.4K

159.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$41.40 ៛166.9K

102.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$246 ៛991.3K

154.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$172 ៛695.0K

158.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$468 ៛1.9M

335.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$352 ៛1.4M

323.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$198 ៛798.2K

152.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

-33.38%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Battambang: July 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $246 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 152% 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: $46.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Battambang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $223 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 95% 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 152% 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: $626 in Phuket versus $246 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $90.3 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 $46.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $640 in Battambang versus $1,250 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 $640 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 95% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.