Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chanthaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chanthaburi: $980 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Chanthaburi
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Chanthaburi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Chanthaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chanthaburi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $980 in Chanthaburi.

Phuket $1,294
Chanthaburi $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,577 in Chanthaburi.

Phuket $2,204
Chanthaburi $1,577

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,174 in Chanthaburi.

Phuket $3,115
Chanthaburi $2,174

Living in Phuket is roughly 32% more expensive than in Chanthaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Chanthaburi 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$1.21 ฿40.53

262.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$37.94 ฿1,274

-14.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.29 ฿245

19.34%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$1.52 ฿51.1

78.95%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.55 ฿18.48

69.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.29 ฿9.69

72.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$1.67 ฿56.1

51.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.57 ฿153

-20.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$1.49 ฿50.2

16.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$1.52 ฿51.0

-4.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.91 ฿30.47

64.84%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$2.15 ฿72.2

0.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$17.14 ฿576

11.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.88 ฿130

-12.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$12.74 ฿428

-14.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$3.74 ฿126

-21.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.71 ฿57.3

-1.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$2.80 ฿93.9

-21.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.90 ฿63.7

11.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.19 ฿40.05

22.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$1.49 ฿49.98

-8.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$1.23 ฿41.34

-12.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.48 ฿16.08

14.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.69 ฿158

-5.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$14.57 ฿490

25.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.69 ฿56.8

4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$3.31 ฿111

-12.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

$0.84 ฿28.09

72.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

$88.7 ฿2,978

-38.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$1.02 ฿34.20

48.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$1.06 ฿35.64

-26.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$5.86 ฿197

-34.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.18 ฿39.78

26.27%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$31.7K ฿1.1M

-15.13%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$23.3K ฿783.2K

12.99%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$99.2 ฿3,331

-1.36%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$3.57 ฿120

216.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$10.52 ฿353

63.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

$49.62 ฿1,667

37.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$13.05 ฿438

-16.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$5.46 ฿183

36.08%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$816 ฿27.4K

-35.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$15.5K ฿520.6K

21.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$7.28 ฿245

747.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$36.11 ฿1,213

-21.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$67.0 ฿2,250

43.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$20.53 ฿690

322.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$437 ฿14.7K

65.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$315 ฿10.6K

61.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

$1,088 ฿36.5K

79.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

$670 ฿22.5K

108.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

$2,184 ฿73.4K

91.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

$1,860 ฿62.5K

77.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chanthaburi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Chanthaburi

$315 32.2% 38% $193

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Chanthaburi

$262 26.8% 1.7% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Chanthaburi

$113 11.6% 10.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Chanthaburi

$59 6% 52% $64

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Chanthaburi

$71 7.2% 40.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Chanthaburi

$61 6.2% 27.2% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Chanthaburi

$98 10% 48.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $437 in Chanthaburi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $38 in Chanthaburi. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $262, with Chanthaburi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Chanthaburi

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

27,602

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Chanthaburi 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chanthaburi

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 Chanthaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $980 in Chanthaburi, so Chanthaburi is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,469 in Chanthaburi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $437 in Chanthaburi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 38% less than in Chanthaburi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $980 in Chanthaburi – Chanthaburi is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $980 in Chanthaburi versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Chanthaburi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Chanthaburi 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 Chanthaburi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.