Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buea

For one person, living is cheaper in Buea: $739 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Buea
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Buea Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Buea

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Buea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $739 in Buea.

Phuket $1,278
Buea $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,340 in Buea.

Phuket $2,216
Buea $1,340

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,941 in Buea.

Phuket $3,154
Buea $1,941

Living in Phuket is roughly 73% more expensive than in Buea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Buea 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.69 FCFA 986

164.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$117 FCFA 68.5K

-72.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.06 FCFA 3,545

45.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.04 FCFA 1,194

38.73%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.25 FCFA 732

-30.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.46 FCFA 269

6.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.99 FCFA 579

158.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.50 FCFA 875

145.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.78 FCFA 1,628

-40.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.40 FCFA 232

265.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.53 FCFA 897

-1.96%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.87 FCFA 1,093

11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$21.74 FCFA 12.7K

-12.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.58 FCFA 4,431

-56.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.36 FCFA 2,550

150.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$3.43 FCFA 2,006

-14.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.38 FCFA 804

22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$0.88 FCFA 514

155.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.31 FCFA 769

58.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.72 FCFA 1,008

-12.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.39 FCFA 812

-0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.73 FCFA 425

46.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.61 FCFA 359

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.64 FCFA 1,542

59.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.70 FCFA 5,086

115.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.16 FCFA 676

56.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.73 FCFA 1,013

64.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.27 FCFA 158

1018.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$0.53 FCFA 308

92.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$4.99 FCFA 2,919

-26.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.20 FCFA 699

22.50%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$18.7K FCFA 10.9M

43.25%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$15.6K FCFA 9.1M

71.53%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$59.1 FCFA 34.6K

62.97%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.88 FCFA 9,875

-33.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$167 FCFA 97.8K

-89.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$25.69 FCFA 15.0K

161.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$4.25 FCFA 2,484

152.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.54 FCFA 4,993

-12.18%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$506 FCFA 296.0K

-5.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$3,349 FCFA 2.0M

236.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$34.09 FCFA 19.9K

82.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$65.7 FCFA 38.4K

-56.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$137 FCFA 80.0K

-31.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$67.9 FCFA 39.7K

26.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$130 FCFA 76.2K

285.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

19.04

-70.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Buea: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Buea

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Buea

$242 32.8% 9.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Buea

$243 32.9% 95.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Buea

$137 18.5% 12.4% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Buea

$71 9.6% 41.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Buea

$43 5.8% 48% $39

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Buea

$2.9 * 0.4% 95.9% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $117 in Buea. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $242, with Buea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇲 Buea

🕒 Local time

00:28 12:28 AM

18:28 6:28 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,325,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 653 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Buea 9,850 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Buea

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 Buea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $739 in Buea, so Buea is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Phuket is about 3.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $506 in Buea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $117 in Buea. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $739 in Buea versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Buea but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Buea 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.

It comes down to priorities – Buea wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.