Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buff Bay Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buff Bay

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 7.5% more expensive than Buff Bay without rent, and 45.2% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Phuket is 6.5% cheaper than Buff Bay without rent, and 68.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.68 ฿151
$7.4 JMD 1,178
-36.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.4 ฿1,502
$63.5 JMD 10.1K
-26.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.65 ฿280
$4.88 JMD 777
77.25%
Cappuccino
$3.09 ฿100
$4.41 JMD 702
-29.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ฿23.53
$0.72 JMD 114
1.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 ฿11.95
$0.61 JMD 97.6
-39.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.39 ฿77.4
$1.85 JMD 295
29.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.62 ฿117
$3.12 JMD 496
16.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.24 ฿72.5
$4.35 JMD 692
-48.51%
White Bread (500g)
$1.8 ฿58.2
$3.64 JMD 580
-50.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 ฿72.3
$1.61 JMD 257
39.13%
Eggs
$2.23 ฿72.1
$3.54 JMD 564
-37.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.31 ฿625
$10.98 JMD 1,748
75.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.77 ฿122
$6.37 JMD 1,015
-40.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.05 ฿422
$7.82 JMD 1,245
66.88%
Apples (1kg)
$3.28 ฿106
$6.18 JMD 983
-46.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.63 ฿52.6
$3.04 JMD 484
-46.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.4 ฿77.7
$4.14 JMD 658
-42.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.99 ฿64.3
$2.96 JMD 471
-32.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿49.62
$2.1 JMD 334
-27.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 ฿48.11
$1.94 JMD 309
-23.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 ฿32.87
$3.1 JMD 494
-67.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿15.61
$1.43 JMD 227
-66.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.32 ฿140
$8.79 JMD 1,400
-50.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$21.68 ฿702
$11 JMD 1,751
97.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿57.3
$2.91 JMD 463
-39.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿90.4
$3.06 JMD 487
-8.82%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 ฿43.74
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ฿380
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.15 ฿102
$1.12 JMD 179
181.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1 ฿32.3
$3.16 JMD 502
-68.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.64 ฿442
$6.17 JMD 982
121.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.3 ฿42.2
$1.27 JMD 203
2.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ฿885.2K
$42.2K JMD 6.7M
-35.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.9K ฿1.1M
$34.2K JMD 5.4M
-0.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 ฿3,970
$166 JMD 26.5K
-26.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿451
$22.04 JMD 3,509
-36.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.24 ฿590
$50.2 JMD 7,996
-63.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.8 ฿1,966
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.11 ฿554
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.07 ฿294
$13.37 JMD 2,128
-32.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$694 ฿22.5K
$228 JMD 36.3K
204.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.9K ฿514.4K
$2,438 JMD 388.1K
551.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.5 ฿1,861
$25.61 JMD 4,077
124.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.51 ฿1,117
$25.63 JMD 4,081
34.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 ฿3,727
$71.6 JMD 11.4K
60.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,743
$75.3 JMD 12K
12.59%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$611 ฿19.8K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$442 ฿14.3K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 ฿65.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,460 ฿47.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,244 ฿137.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,886 ฿93.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$697 ฿22.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
9.15
-41.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 29, 2025

Last update for Buff Bay: October 29, 2025

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