Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Best

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $2,217 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Best

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Phuket vs $2,217 in Best, rent included.

Phuket $1,190
Best $2,217

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Phuket vs $3,095 in Best, rent included.

Phuket $2,006
Best $3,095

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Phuket vs $3,973 in Best, rent included.

Phuket $2,822
Best $3,973

Phuket is about 46% cheaper than Best, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Best is 65% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$22.31 €19.91

-80.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$86.5 €77.2

-62.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$12.25 €10.94

-31.27%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$3.65 €3.26

-23.01%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$3.26 €2.91

-73.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$2.48 €2.21

-81.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$5.77 €5.15

-55.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$4.90 €4.37

-25.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.13 €1.01

51.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.89 €1.69

-23.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.22 €1.98

-29.73%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$3.12 €2.79

-32.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$11.28 €10.07

73.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$11.49 €10.26

-70.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$14.84 €13.24

-24.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$2.01 €1.80

40.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.60 €1.43

1.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.73 €1.54

28.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$4.95 €4.41

-56.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$1.17 €1.04

27.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$1.19 €1.06

11.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.11 €0.99

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.71 €0.63

-28.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$11.21 €10.01

-60.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$5.55 €4.95

238.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.51 €1.34

15.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.50 €2.23

11.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.48 €2.22

-12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$70.9 €63.3

-68.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$3.94 €3.52

-23.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$2.89 €2.57

-63.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$29.72 €26.52

-87.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$2.35 €2.09

-39.15%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$25.6K €22.9K

2.75%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$34.0K €30.3K

-22.89%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$185 €165

-47.78%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$14.56 €12.99

-21.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$37.61 €33.56

-54.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$40.32 €35.98

30.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$25.33 €22.60

-56.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$13.97 €12.47

-45.24%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$1,298 €1,158

-57.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$5,115 €4,564

120.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$51.7 €46.13

22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$32.89 €29.35

-13.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$74.5 €66.5

29.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$57.9 €51.7

53.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$1,544 €1,378

-52.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$1,100 €982

-58.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$1,975 €1,763

6.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$1,352 €1,206

-12.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$5,221 €4,659

-33.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$4,354 €3,886

-42.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$4,077 €3,639

-87.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.54

57.34%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Best: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Best

$1.1K 49.9% 140% $642

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Best

$281 12.8% 4.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Best

$237 10.8% 89.5% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Best

$98 4.4% 21.8% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Best

$321 14.6% 169% $201

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Best

$68 3.1% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Best

$99 4.5% 153% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $735 in Phuket versus $1,544 in Best. 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 714% higher in Best, 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 $86.0 in Best. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $281 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇱 Best

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

15:28 3:28 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

29,988

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Best 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Best

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 Best: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Best is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Phuket and $3,325 in Best. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, 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 $1,190 in Phuket and $2,217 in Best. That's a gap of about 86%.

Public transport costs about 218% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Best at $2,217. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Best it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – 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 Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Best makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.