Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Boroko

For one person, living is cheaper in Boroko: $868 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Boroko
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Boroko Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Boroko

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Boroko

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $868 in Boroko, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Boroko $868

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,259 in Boroko, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Boroko $1,259

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,649 in Boroko, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Boroko $1,649

Phuket costs about 47% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Phuket and Boroko are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Boroko 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.29 PGK 31.69

-38.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$34.42 PGK 150

-5.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.35 PGK 23.27

64.67%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.48 PGK 10.76

14.11%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.71 PGK 3.07

22.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.64 PGK 2.78

-23.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.58 PGK 11.23

-0.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.42 PGK 14.86

7.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.50 PGK 6.52

10.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.16 PGK 5.03

25.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.16 PGK 5.03

29.31%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.55 PGK 15.41

-41.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.98 PGK 21.66

282.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.79 PGK 20.80

-31.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.61 PGK 28.73

65.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.85 PGK 16.71

-23.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.08 PGK 13.38

-45.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.72 PGK 11.80

-17.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.70 PGK 11.75

-22.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.82 PGK 12.25

-46.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.84 PGK 3.66

64.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.12 PGK 4.86

-4.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.42 PGK 1.83

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.42 PGK 23.54

-22.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.95 PGK 21.53

279.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.07 PGK 4.67

70.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.49 PGK 6.48

90.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.42 PGK 1.83

245.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$28.88 PGK 126

96.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.40 PGK 19.12

-31.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.34 PGK 5.84

-23.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$10.97 PGK 47.68

-66.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.80 PGK 3.47

83.75%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$35.7K PGK 155.1K

-24.98%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$17.6K PGK 76.5K

51.64%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$61.6 PGK 268

56.44%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$20.71 PGK 90.0

-45.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$82.1 PGK 357

-79.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$41.86 PGK 182

60.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.29 PGK 62.1

-24.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.47 PGK 28.10

15.92%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$333 PGK 1,445

43.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$2,215 PGK 9,626

408.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$34.50 PGK 150

80.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$12.91 PGK 56.1

120.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$44.28 PGK 192

112.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$26.31 PGK 114

226.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$3,336 PGK 14.5K

-78.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$221 PGK 959

122.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$3,257 PGK 14.2K

-40.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$218 PGK 948

556.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$352 PGK 1,531

42.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Boroko: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Boroko

$221 25.4% 55% $270

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Boroko

$204 23.5% 23.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Boroko

$164 18.9% 32.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Boroko

$53 6.1% 56.4% $69

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Boroko

$129 14.9% 6.2% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Boroko

$55 6.3% 33.4% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Boroko

$42 4.8% 40.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $3,336 in Boroko. 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 43% higher in Phuket, 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 in Phuket versus $34 in Boroko. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $204 in Boroko – so Boroko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇬 Boroko

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

12:22 12:22 PM

3 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 PGK = 0.23 USD

1 PGK = 0.206 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.35 PGK (1 PGK = 0.23 USD). 1 EUR = 4.85 PGK (1 PGK = 0.206 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Boroko 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Boroko

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 Boroko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 47% more than Boroko, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,302 in Boroko. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $3,336 in Boroko.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $333 in Boroko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,278 in Phuket and $868 in Boroko. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $868 in Boroko to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Boroko. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.