Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bucha

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucha: $746 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Bucha
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Bucha Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Bucha

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bucha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $746 in Bucha.

Phuket $1,208
Bucha $746

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,142 in Bucha.

Phuket $2,027
Bucha $1,142

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,538 in Bucha.

Phuket $2,845
Bucha $1,538

Living in Phuket is roughly 62% more expensive than in Bucha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Bucha 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$9.86 ₴443

-55.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$22.50 ₴1,010

43.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.60 ₴296

32.73%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.00 ₴45.09

183.00%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.62 ₴27.81

45.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.37 ₴16.60

27.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$0.87 ₴39.16

193.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.93 ₴86.5

98.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.12 ₴50.1

54.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.89 ₴40.04

65.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.50 ₴67.5

0.67%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.97 ₴88.5

10.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$8.09 ₴363

143.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.20 ₴233

-35.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$6.83 ₴306

63.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$0.99 ₴44.59

187.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.52 ₴68.1

11.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.87 ₴84.1

17.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.76 ₴124

-25.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.69 ₴31.10

110.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.45 ₴20.42

206.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.41 ₴63.2

-24.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.51 ₴23.07

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.39 ₴152

25.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$4.73 ₴212

292.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.95 ₴42.66

87.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.37 ₴61.4

108.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.46 ₴20.45

391.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$13.82 ₴620

59.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.07 ₴93.1

45.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.48 ₴21.61

120.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$3.98 ₴179

-3.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.69 ₴76.0

-14.20%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$31.4K ₴1.4M

-16.14%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$24.6K ₴1.1M

9.54%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$98.5 ₴4,419

-2.10%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$6.39 ₴287

72.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$6.35 ₴285

169.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$26.50 ₴1,189

96.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$15.20 ₴682

-26.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.60 ₴206

69.78%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$402 ₴18.0K

38.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$4,197 ₴188.4K

175.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$67.3 ₴3,023

-4.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$17.42 ₴782

64.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$54.5 ₴2,447

74.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$56.4 ₴2,531

56.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$200 ₴8,961

269.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$197 ₴8,821

135.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$465 ₴20.9K

350.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$331 ₴14.8K

263.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,038 ₴46.6K

236.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$769 ₴34.5K

228.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$548 ₴24.6K

-8.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

17.88

-68.85%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bucha: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Bucha

$197 26.3% 57.5% $266

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Bucha

$172 23% 36% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Bucha

$111 14.9% 10.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Bucha

$88 11.8% 29.2% $36

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Bucha

$123 16.5% 1.4% $1.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Bucha

$36 4.8% 47.4% $32

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Bucha

$20 2.7% 49% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $200 in Bucha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucha pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $23.00 in Bucha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $172 per month, with Bucha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇦 Bucha

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

22:31 10:31 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

27,460

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 UAH = 2.23 USD

100 UAH = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Bucha 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bucha

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 Bucha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Bucha differ by about 62% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $746 including rent). Bucha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Bucha. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $200 in Bucha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $746 in Bucha – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucha runs roughly 60% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $746 in Bucha versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucha but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bucha 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 Bucha 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 Bucha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.