Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Can Tho

For one person, living is cheaper in Can Tho: $724 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Can Tho
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Can Tho Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Can Tho

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Can Tho

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $724 in Can Tho, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Can Tho $724

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,227 in Can Tho, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Can Tho $1,227

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,729 in Can Tho, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Can Tho $1,729

Phuket costs about 79% more than Can Tho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Can Tho are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Can Tho 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$1.40 ₫36.0K

213.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$23.71 ₫610.8K

36.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$3.78 ₫97.5K

130.16%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$1.51 ₫39.0K

80.13%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.53 ₫13.6K

75.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.29 ₫7,591

72.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$1.07 ₫27.6K

136.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.13 ₫29.1K

221.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.32 ₫34.0K

31.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$1.18 ₫30.3K

22.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.80 ₫20.7K

87.50%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.42 ₫36.6K

52.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$12.18 ₫313.7K

56.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.57 ₫92.0K

-4.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$9.94 ₫256.0K

9.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$3.14 ₫81.0K

-6.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.28 ₫33.1K

32.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.38 ₫35.4K

58.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$0.80 ₫20.7K

165.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$0.75 ₫19.4K

94.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$0.94 ₫24.2K

45.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.80 ₫20.5K

35.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$1.22 ₫31.4K

263.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$7.67 ₫197.7K

137.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$0.95 ₫24.5K

86.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.42 ₫36.5K

102.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.31 ₫7,882

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$6.30 ₫162.3K

771.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.46 ₫11.8K

228.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.59 ₫15.2K

32.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$3.04 ₫78.4K

26.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$0.91 ₫23.6K

63.74%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$31.0K ₫799.0M

-13.33%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$28.9K ₫745.6M

-8.97%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$49.32 ₫1.3M

98.32%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$3.89 ₫100.3K

190.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$9.61 ₫247.6K

78.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$20.23 ₫521.3K

237.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$7.59 ₫195.5K

43.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$3.36 ₫86.5K

121.13%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$190 ₫4.9M

179.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$7,044 ₫181.4M

166.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$19.50 ₫502.4K

216.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$19.70 ₫507.6K

43.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$92.5 ₫2.4M

3.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$94.4 ₫2.4M

-8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$432 ₫11.1M

66.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$282 ₫7.3M

80.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$659 ₫17.0M

196.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$697 ₫18.0M

100.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,427 ₫62.5M

72.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$1,355 ₫34.9M

143.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$161 ₫4.1M

206.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.64

-35.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Can Tho: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Can Tho

$282 39% 44.5% $227

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Can Tho

$188 26% 29.6% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Can Tho

$63 8.7% 50.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Can Tho

$102 14.1% 17.1% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Can Tho

$52 7.1% 56.8% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Can Tho

$27 3.7% 67.6% $56

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Can Tho

$11 1.5% 83.5% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $432 in Can Tho. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $24 in Can Tho. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $188 – making Can Tho the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Can Tho

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,258,900

💱 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,880 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Can Tho 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Can Tho

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 Can Tho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,086 in Can Tho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Can Tho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $432 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $24 in Can Tho. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Can Tho, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Can Tho it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Can Tho – 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.

If budget matters most, go with Can Tho. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.