Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bonao

For one person, living is cheaper in Bonao: $686 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Bonao
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Bonao Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Bonao

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$686

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bonao

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $686 in Bonao.

Phuket $1,207
Bonao $686

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,131 in Bonao.

Phuket $2,037
Bonao $1,131

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,575 in Bonao.

Phuket $2,867
Bonao $1,575

Living in Phuket is roughly 76% more expensive than in Bonao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Bonao 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$9.71 DOP 595

-52.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$49.73 DOP 3,047

-34.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$7.65 DOP 468

11.76%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.00 DOP 123

36.00%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.05 DOP 64.6

-10.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.60 DOP 36.58

-18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$2.44 DOP 149

6.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.14 DOP 192

21.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.03 DOP 63.3

68.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.04 DOP 63.6

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.66 DOP 40.65

131.82%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.21 DOP 74.1

79.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$5.01 DOP 307

282.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$5.61 DOP 344

-41.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$6.51 DOP 399

71.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.36 DOP 145

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.63 DOP 38.55

166.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.69 DOP 165

-14.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.37 DOP 83.8

55.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.97 DOP 121

-22.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.57 DOP 95.9

-13.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.00 DOP 61.0

12.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.51 DOP 31.40

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.24 DOP 321

-18.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$7.14 DOP 437

154.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.18 DOP 133

-20.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.91 DOP 178

-4.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.58 DOP 35.60

282.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$34.07 DOP 2,087

-35.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.12 DOP 191

-6.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$2.17 DOP 133

-53.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.41 DOP 147

58.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.40 DOP 85.5

6.43%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$22.8K DOP 1.4M

16.94%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$34.1K DOP 2.1M

-21.69%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$92.9 DOP 5,691

6.96%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$31.91 DOP 1,955

-64.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$35.96 DOP 2,203

-51.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.33 DOP 449

3.27%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$248 DOP 15.2K

124.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$7,364 DOP 451.1K

55.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$45.46 DOP 2,785

38.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$46.18 DOP 2,829

-38.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$86.4 DOP 5,291

11.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$126 DOP 7,698

-29.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

13.56

-58.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bonao: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Bonao

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Bonao

$174 25.4% 34.9% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Bonao

$161 23.4% 25.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Bonao

$137 19.9% 10.2% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Bonao

$150 21.8% 23.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Bonao

$15 * 2.1% 78.3% $53

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Bonao

$50 7.3% 29.5% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $50.0 in Bonao. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $174, with Bonao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇴 Bonao

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

16:29 4:29 PM

11 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

158,034

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.87 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bonao 16,790 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bonao

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 Bonao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Bonao differ by about 76% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $686 including rent). Bonao is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,029 in Bonao to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

A monthly transit pass in Bonao runs roughly 54% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $248 in Bonao. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $686 in Bonao versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bonao but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bonao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Bonao 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 Bonao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.