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

🙂 Solo nomad: Phuket is 5.4% cheaper than Buff Bay without rent, and 41.8% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Phuket is 10.3% cheaper than Buff Bay without rent, and 71.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.59 ฿147
$7.33 JMD 1,158
-37.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.83 ฿1,497
$61.8 JMD 9,766
-24.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿278
$4.99 JMD 788
74.35%
Cappuccino
$2.92 ฿93.5
$4.32 JMD 682
-32.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 ฿21.86
$0.77 JMD 122
-11.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ฿12.66
$0.66 JMD 104
-39.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.51 ฿80.2
$1.92 JMD 303
30.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.80 ฿122
$3.12 JMD 493
21.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 ฿69.1
$4.25 JMD 671
-49.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.88 ฿60.1
$3.52 JMD 556
-46.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.16 ฿69.0
$1.55 JMD 245
39.35%
Eggs
$2.22 ฿71.0
$3.56 JMD 563
-37.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.57 ฿626
$10.94 JMD 1,728
78.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.80 ฿122
$6.33 JMD 1,000
-39.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.41 ฿429
$7.79 JMD 1,232
72.14%
Apples (1kg)
$3.26 ฿104
$6.00 JMD 947
-45.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.5
$2.98 JMD 471
-45.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.31 ฿73.8
$4.24 JMD 670
-45.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.06 ฿65.8
$3.00 JMD 475
-31.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.3
$2.02 JMD 319
-20.30%
Onion (1kg)
$1.44 ฿46.13
$2.02 JMD 319
-28.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 ฿32.91
$2.98 JMD 472
-65.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿15.34
$1.49 JMD 236
-67.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.50 ฿144
$8.95 JMD 1,413
-49.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.18 ฿613
$11.48 JMD 1,814
67.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿58.3
$2.86 JMD 452
-36.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 ฿86.0
$3.14 JMD 497
-14.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.38 ฿44.04
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.76 ฿376
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿99.3
$1.13 JMD 178
175.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.00 ฿32.09
$3.13 JMD 495
-68.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.74 ฿439
$6.31 JMD 998
117.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 ฿41.49
$1.24 JMD 195
4.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.4K ฿874.5K
$43.4K JMD 6.9M
-36.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.0K ฿1.1M
$32.9K JMD 5.2M
0.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$125 ฿3,993
$165 JMD 26.0K
-24.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.74 ฿439
$22.36 JMD 3,533
-38.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.61 ฿595
$51.5 JMD 8,142
-63.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.6 ฿1,936
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.15 ฿548
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.01 ฿288
$13.40 JMD 2,117
-32.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.3K
$222 JMD 35.1K
214.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K ฿515.1K
$2,475 JMD 391.0K
551.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$59.2 ฿1,893
$25.87 JMD 4,087
128.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.86 ฿1,115
$25.23 JMD 3,986
38.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 ฿3,651
$70.3 JMD 11.1K
62.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,743
$75.2 JMD 11.9K
14.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$619 ฿19.8K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$437 ฿14.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,075 ฿66.3K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,509 ฿48.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,764 ฿120.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,694 ฿86.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Buff Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$528 ฿16.9K
-
-
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Buff Bay: April 13, 2026

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

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