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

🙂 Solo nomad: Phuket is 8.1% cheaper than Buff Bay without rent, and 43.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 0.6% more expensive than Buff Bay without rent, and 68.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.65 ฿147
$7.59 JMD 1,188
-38.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.11 ฿1,460
$63.7 JMD 9,966
-27.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.74 ฿277
$5.13 JMD 802
70.37%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ฿96.2
$4.40 JMD 688
-30.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ฿22.80
$0.72 JMD 112
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ฿12.38
$0.62 JMD 96.5
-37.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 ฿77.2
$1.91 JMD 298
27.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿120
$3.11 JMD 486
21.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ฿67.9
$4.25 JMD 665
-49.65%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 ฿58.9
$3.66 JMD 573
-49.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ฿69.2
$1.56 JMD 244
40.38%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿71.1
$3.56 JMD 556
-36.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.73 ฿625
$10.89 JMD 1,703
81.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.79 ฿120
$6.28 JMD 982
-39.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.55 ฿429
$7.42 JMD 1,161
82.61%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 ฿103
$5.89 JMD 922
-44.82%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ฿52.9
$3.12 JMD 488
-46.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.39 ฿75.7
$4.12 JMD 645
-41.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.09 ฿66.2
$3.05 JMD 478
-31.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿48.39
$2.12 JMD 331
-27.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 ฿47.79
$1.96 JMD 306
-22.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ฿31.30
$3.12 JMD 488
-68.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.30
$1.50 JMD 235
-66.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 ฿135
$8.84 JMD 1,383
-51.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.31 ฿643
$11.41 JMD 1,786
78.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿56.7
$2.79 JMD 436
-35.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ฿87.6
$3.16 JMD 494
-12.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 ฿44.44
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.70 ฿370
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿98.4
$1.13 JMD 176
175.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 ฿31.48
$3.11 JMD 487
-68.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.73 ฿435
$6.31 JMD 987
117.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ฿41.75
$1.22 JMD 191
8.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K ฿862.0K
$43.6K JMD 6.8M
-37.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K ฿1.1M
$33.5K JMD 5.2M
1.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ฿3,811
$164 JMD 25.6K
-26.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿441
$21.75 JMD 3,402
-35.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 ฿579
$50.7 JMD 7,935
-63.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.9 ฿1,928
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.23 ฿545
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 ฿276
$13.35 JMD 2,087
-34.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.1K
$226 JMD 35.3K
209.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.7K ฿498.0K
$2,449 JMD 383.1K
542.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 ฿1,824
$25.58 JMD 4,001
125.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.24 ฿1,084
$25.60 JMD 4,005
33.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 ฿3,582
$70.6 JMD 11.0K
60.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,684
$77.0 JMD 12.0K
10.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$604 ฿19.1K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 ฿13.8K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,057 ฿65.1K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,498 ฿47.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,252 ฿134.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,988 ฿94.6K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$529 ฿16.7K
-
-
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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Buff Bay: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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