Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cha-am

For one person, living is cheaper in Cha-am: $871 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Cha-am
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Cha-am Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cha-am

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 Cha-am actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $871 in Cha-am.

Phuket $1,278
Cha-am $871

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,405 in Cha-am.

Phuket $2,216
Cha-am $1,405

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,940 in Cha-am.

Phuket $3,154
Cha-am $1,940

Living in Phuket is roughly 47% more expensive than in Cha-am, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Cha-am 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.98 ฿101

50.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$22.18 ฿748

46.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.35 ฿248

19.86%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.01 ฿68.0

40.80%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.69 ฿23.32

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.35 ฿11.68

40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.44 ฿82.3

4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.93 ฿98.9

25.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.74 ฿58.6

-4.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.47 ฿49.72

-0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.33 ฿44.90

12.78%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.87 ฿63.2

11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$12.37 ฿418

54.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.53 ฿85.2

30.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.97 ฿336

9.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.37 ฿114

-13.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.21 ฿40.98

39.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.90 ฿64.0

18.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.81 ฿61.1

14.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.74 ฿58.7

-13.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.08 ฿36.59

27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.20 ฿40.49

-10.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.44 ฿14.80

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.26 ฿144

-1.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.95 ฿605

4.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.67 ฿56.4

8.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.86 ฿96.5

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.91 ฿30.59

59.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$22.60 ฿762

150.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.34 ฿45.25

125.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.08 ฿36.46

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.61 ฿122

2.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.37 ฿46.37

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$16.3K ฿551.1K

63.94%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$26.5K ฿892.6K

0.89%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$80.9 ฿2,730

19.08%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.74 ฿396

-4.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$23.19 ฿782

-27.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$23.97 ฿809

180.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.88 ฿198

82.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.70 ฿226

11.94%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$615 ฿20.8K

-22.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$10.6K ฿358.5K

6.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$51.0 ฿1,720

22.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$28.67 ฿967

-0.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$72.2 ฿2,436

30.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$53.1 ฿1,790

61.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$368 ฿12.4K

94.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$267 ฿9,012

83.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$752 ฿25.4K

156.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$651 ฿22.0K

119.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$362 ฿12.2K

38.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.96

-6.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cha-am: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cha-am

$267 30.7% 45.6% $224

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cha-am

$233 26.7% 12.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cha-am

$116 13.3% 6.9% $8.6

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 24.3% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cha-am

$92 10.6% 24.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cha-am

$37 4.3% 54.5% $45

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cha-am

$33 3.8% 53.3% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $368 in Cha-am. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 39% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $22 in Cha-am for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $233 per month, with Cha-am cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

31,354

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cha-am 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cha-am

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 Cha-am: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $871 in Cha-am, so Cha-am is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $368 in Cha-am. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $871 in Cha-am – Cha-am is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cha-am runs roughly 60% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $871 in Cha-am versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Cha-am but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Cha-am the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Cha-am are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Cha-am gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.