Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buon Ma Thuot

For one person, living is cheaper in Buon Ma Thuot: $767 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Buon Ma Thuot
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Buon Ma Thuot Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Buon Ma Thuot

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Buon Ma Thuot

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 Buon Ma Thuot actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $767 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Buon Ma Thuot $767

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,221 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Buon Ma Thuot $1,221

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,675 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Buon Ma Thuot $1,675

Phuket costs about 67% more than Buon Ma Thuot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Buon Ma Thuot are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Buon Ma Thuot 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.98 ₫50.9K

125.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$11.61 ₫299.1K

179.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.48 ₫115.4K

96.65%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.03 ₫26.6K

174.76%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.34 ₫8,735

155.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.31 ₫7,968

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.29 ₫33.3K

98.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.27 ₫32.8K

189.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.55 ₫39.8K

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.11 ₫28.5K

31.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.99 ₫25.4K

51.52%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.50 ₫38.5K

39.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.17 ₫313.4K

56.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.66 ₫94.3K

-9.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.64 ₫248.3K

13.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$3.09 ₫79.6K

-5.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.10 ₫28.4K

53.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.31 ₫33.8K

71.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.24 ₫31.9K

67.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.92 ₫23.8K

64.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.14 ₫29.3K

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.61 ₫15.8K

75.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.52 ₫13.3K

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.39 ₫35.9K

202.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$11.36 ₫292.6K

65.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.87 ₫22.3K

109.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.74 ₫44.7K

63.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.31 ₫8,110

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$6.68 ₫171.9K

748.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.80 ₫20.7K

277.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.57 ₫14.6K

78.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.57 ₫66.1K

43.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.94 ₫24.3K

56.38%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$31.1K ₫800.8M

-13.90%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$29.0K ₫747.9M

-8.10%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$76.9 ₫2.0M

25.24%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.83 ₫150.2K

93.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$8.63 ₫222.2K

95.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$23.41 ₫602.7K

187.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$7.64 ₫196.8K

40.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.35 ₫86.3K

123.88%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$190 ₫4.9M

150.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$13.7K ₫352.3M

-17.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$46.04 ₫1.2M

35.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$26.90 ₫692.7K

5.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$84.4 ₫2.2M

11.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$79.7 ₫2.1M

7.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$405 ₫10.4M

76.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$276 ₫7.1M

77.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$798 ₫20.5M

141.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$633 ₫16.3M

126.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,275 ₫58.6M

83.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,219 ₫31.4M

149.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.28

-32.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Buon Ma Thuot: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Buon Ma Thuot

$276 36% 43.7% $215

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Buon Ma Thuot

$198 25.8% 25.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Buon Ma Thuot

$91 11.9% 26.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Buon Ma Thuot

$107 13.9% 12.5% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Buon Ma Thuot

$53 6.9% 56.2% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Buon Ma Thuot

$30 3.9% 63.4% $52

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Buon Ma Thuot

$12 1.5% 83.6% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $405 in Buon Ma Thuot. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $12 in Buon Ma Thuot. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $198 – making Buon Ma Thuot the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Buon Ma Thuot

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

245,951

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 25,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,861 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Buon Ma Thuot 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Buon Ma Thuot

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 Buon Ma Thuot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $767 in Buon Ma Thuot – Buon Ma Thuot comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,151 in Buon Ma Thuot. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buon Ma Thuot, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $405 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $12 in Buon Ma Thuot. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $767 in Buon Ma Thuot. That makes Buon Ma Thuot about 40% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Buon Ma Thuot, where all-in costs run around $767, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Buon Ma Thuot it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Buon Ma Thuot – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Buon Ma Thuot is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 40% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.