Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Buriram

For one person, living is cheaper in Buriram: $929 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Buriram
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Buriram Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Buriram

🇹🇭 Thailand

$929

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Buriram

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $929 in Buriram, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Buriram $929

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,448 in Buriram, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Buriram $1,448

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,966 in Buriram, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Buriram $1,966

Phuket costs about 39% more than Buriram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Buriram are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Buriram 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$1.52 ฿51.4

188.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$26.37 ฿889

22.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$8.54 ฿288

1.87%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.35 ฿45.53

101.48%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.42 ฿14.30

121.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.26 ฿8.84

92.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.81 ฿61.2

39.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.03 ฿136

-9.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.83 ฿61.8

-4.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.36 ฿45.98

6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.22 ฿41.30

22.95%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.14 ฿72.2

1.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$17.47 ฿589

9.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$2.39 ฿80.8

42.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$11.40 ฿384

-4.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.76 ฿93.0

6.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.10 ฿37.26

53.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.46 ฿83.1

-10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.85 ฿62.4

14.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.53 ฿51.7

-4.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.14 ฿38.57

20.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$0.95 ฿31.96

13.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.53 ฿17.91

3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.24 ฿143

4.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$15.40 ฿519

18.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.69 ฿57.1

4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.87 ฿96.9

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.85 ฿28.75

70.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.13 ฿38.27

33.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.99 ฿33.40

-21.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$5.43 ฿183

-29.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.38 ฿46.49

7.97%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$24.6K ฿828.1K

9.49%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$23.8K ฿803.9K

10.55%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$89.5 ฿3,018

9.31%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$11.74 ฿396

-3.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$21.39 ฿722

-19.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$43.97 ฿1,483

55.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$12.07 ฿407

-9.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$5.71 ฿193

30.12%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$603 ฿20.4K

-12.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$17.4K ฿586.0K

8.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$55.3 ฿1,864

11.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$26.20 ฿884

7.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$85.9 ฿2,896

11.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$83.5 ฿2,817

3.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$447 ฿15.1K

61.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$310 ฿10.4K

64.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,233 ฿41.6K

58.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$610 ฿20.6K

128.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,911 ฿64.5K

119.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,591 ฿53.7K

107.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Buriram: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Buriram

$310 33.3% 39.2% $199

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Buriram

$246 26.4% 8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Buriram

$123 13.2% 2.9% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Buriram

$113 12.1% 8% $9.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Buriram

$74 8% 38.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Buriram

$55 6% 33.4% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Buriram

$9.5 * 1% 85.6% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $447 in Buriram. 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 $26 in Buriram. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $246 – making Buriram the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Buriram

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

28,333

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Buriram 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Buriram

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 Buriram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,394 in Buriram. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buriram, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $447 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $929 in Buriram. That makes Buriram about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $603 in Buriram. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $929 in Buriram to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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