Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Big Bend

For one person, living is cheaper in Big Bend: $707 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Big Bend
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Big Bend Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Big Bend

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Big Bend

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $707 in Big Bend, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Big Bend $707

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,392 in Big Bend, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Big Bend $1,392

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,076 in Big Bend, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Big Bend $2,076

Phuket costs about 83% more than Big Bend, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Big Bend are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Big Bend 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$3.95 SZL 65.6

11.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,089

$26.97 SZL 447

19.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$4.93 SZL 81.7

76.47%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.8

$1.47 SZL 24.44

85.03%

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

$0.93 ฿31.35

$0.70 SZL 11.59

32.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.83

$0.44 SZL 7.26

13.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.3

$1.48 SZL 24.59

70.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.54 SZL 25.58

135.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$1.22 SZL 20.15

42.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.89

$0.86 SZL 14.27

68.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.58 SZL 26.19

-5.06%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.2

$4.62 SZL 76.6

-53.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿643

$18.22 SZL 302

4.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$12.19 SZL 202

-72.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿367

$4.74 SZL 78.6

129.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.1

$4.22 SZL 70.0

-30.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.57 SZL 9.51

196.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.9

$1.82 SZL 30.10

20.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.17 SZL 19.42

81.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.15

$2.45 SZL 40.55

-40.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.10

$2.14 SZL 35.52

-35.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.26

$0.92 SZL 15.19

17.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.38

$0.89 SZL 14.68

-38.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$5.71 SZL 94.7

-22.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿615

$3.63 SZL 60.3

402.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.7

$0.59 SZL 9.76

200.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.1

$0.93 SZL 15.34

209.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.78

$1.22 SZL 20.31

18.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

$23.66 SZL 392

131.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.82 SZL 30.17

-17.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.14

$1.47 SZL 24.30

-46.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$3.51 SZL 58.2

9.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

$1.11 SZL 18.32

34.23%

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

$26.9K ฿905.9K

$12.0K SZL 199.5K

123.48%

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

$26.3K ฿887.8K

$18.2K SZL 302.3K

44.53%

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

$97.8 ฿3,296

$127 SZL 2,114

-23.27%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$24.33 SZL 404

-53.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿579

$23.83 SZL 395

-27.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,303

$17.76 SZL 294

284.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$2.38 SZL 39.39

358.82%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$2.99 SZL 49.66

148.49%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿632.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,078

$35.69 SZL 592

72.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿952

$23.82 SZL 395

18.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,235

$35.60 SZL 590

169.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,926

$54.8 SZL 908

58.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$109 SZL 1,809

560.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$72.5 SZL 1,203

601.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.7K

$1,068 SZL 17.7K

82.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$708 SZL 11.7K

97.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.3K

$198 SZL 3,288

2013.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.2K

$143 SZL 2,378

2199.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$798 SZL 13.2K

-38.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-38.11%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Big Bend: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Big Bend

$73 10.3% 85.7% $436

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Big Bend

$251 35.5% 5.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Big Bend

$176 24.8% 39.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Big Bend

$67 9.5% 45.1% $55

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Big Bend

$79 11.2% 33.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Big Bend

$24 3.4% 71.4% $59

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Big Bend

$38 5.3% 42.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $109 in Big Bend. 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 62% higher in Big Bend, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $27 in Big Bend. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $251 – making Big Bend the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇿 Big Bend

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

6,433

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 SZL = 6.03 USD

100 SZL = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.58 SZL (100 SZL = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.57 SZL (100 SZL = 5.39 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Big Bend 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Big Bend

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 Big Bend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $707 in Big Bend – Big Bend comes out roughly 45% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,061 in Big Bend. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Big Bend, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $109 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 57% less in Big Bend. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Big Bend, where all-in costs run around $707, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Big Bend it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $707 in Big Bend to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Big Bend is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 45% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.