Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Battambang

For one person, living is cheaper in Battambang: $661 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Battambang
Learn more

Battambang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Battambang

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Battambang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $661 in Battambang.

Phuket $1,278
Battambang $661

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,046 in Battambang.

Phuket $2,216
Battambang $1,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,431 in Battambang.

Phuket $3,154
Battambang $1,431

Living in Phuket is roughly 93% more expensive than in Battambang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Battambang 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.43 ៛9,886

83.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$18.26 ៛74.4K

77.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.31 ៛25.7K

39.62%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.37 ៛5,564

106.57%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.67 ៛2,718

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.48 ៛1,938

2.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.84 ៛3,419

204.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.23 ៛9,106

65.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.25 ៛9,176

-26.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.01 ៛4,130

44.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.02 ៛4,148

47.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.72 ៛7,023

21.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$14.23 ៛58.0K

34.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.43 ៛9,890

35.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.45 ៛38.5K

15.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.26 ៛17.3K

-31.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.28 ៛5,213

32.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.60 ៛18.7K

-51.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.92 ៛7,844

8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.76 ៛7,186

-14.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.14 ៛4,627

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.78 ៛3,164

37.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.75 ៛3,057

-30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.92 ៛7,820

118.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.89 ៛44.4K

72.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.64 ៛2,616

184.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$0.98 ៛3,984

189.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.85 ៛3,472

255.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.89 ៛3,637

14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.96 ៛20.2K

-25.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.20 ៛4,887

22.50%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$35.2K ៛143.5M

-23.97%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$34.3K ៛139.7M

-22.15%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$64.2 ៛261.6K

50.10%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$2.72 ៛11.1K

313.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$25.32 ៛103.2K

-33.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$22.07 ៛89.9K

204.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.03 ៛20.5K

49.11%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$89.2 ៛363.6K

433.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$3,929 ៛16.0M

186.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$20.29 ៛82.7K

207.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$23.97 ៛97.7K

18.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$90.0 ៛366.6K

4.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$44.81 ៛182.6K

91.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$228 ៛930.9K

213.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$153 ៛621.8K

221.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$420 ៛1.7M

358.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$322 ៛1.3M

344.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$203 ៛826.8K

147.53%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Battambang: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Battambang

$153 23.1% 68.9% $338

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Battambang

$230 34.8% 13.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Battambang

$92 14% 25.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Battambang

$81 12.2% 33.9% $41

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Battambang

$68 10.3% 44.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Battambang

$32 4.9% 60.9% $50

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Battambang

$5.3 * 0.8% 92.5% $65

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 $716 in Phuket and $228 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $18 in Battambang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $230 per month, with Battambang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇭 Battambang

🕒 Local time

20:48 8:48 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

196,709

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4,075 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,550 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Battambang 780 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Battambang

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 Battambang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Battambang wins on cost – living expenses run 48% 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 in Phuket is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $228 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $89 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 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $661 in Battambang versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 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 at $661 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 both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Battambang wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.