Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chiang Rai Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chiang Rai

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 32% more expensive than Chiang Rai without rent, and 48.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 38.4% more expensive than Chiang Rai without rent, and 90.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Chiang Rai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.65 ฿147
$1.98 ฿62.8
134.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.11 ฿1,460
$15.14 ฿479
204.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.74 ฿277
$6.22 ฿197
40.51%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ฿96.2
$1.48 ฿46.72
105.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ฿22.80
$0.56 ฿17.80
28.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ฿12.38
$0.28 ฿8.81
39.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 ฿77.2
$1.82 ฿57.7
34.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿120
$3.67 ฿116
3.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Chiang Rai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ฿67.9
$1.65 ฿52.4
29.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 ฿58.9
$1.62 ฿51.3
14.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ฿69.2
$1.14 ฿35.93
92.11%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿71.1
$1.95 ฿61.7
15.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.73 ฿625
$15.98 ฿506
23.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.79 ฿120
$3.10 ฿98.3
22.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.55 ฿429
$10.98 ฿348
23.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 ฿103
$2.55 ฿80.8
27.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ฿52.9
$1.01 ฿31.90
65.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.39 ฿75.7
$1.64 ฿51.8
45.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.09 ฿66.2
$0.94 ฿29.61
122.34%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿48.39
$1.40 ฿44.27
9.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 ฿47.79
$1.12 ฿35.35
34.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ฿31.30
$0.66 ฿20.88
50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.30
$0.52 ฿16.48
-1.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 ฿135
$3.78 ฿120
12.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.31 ฿643
$19.09 ฿604
6.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿56.7
$1.86 ฿58.8
-3.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ฿87.6
$3.26 ฿103
-15.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Chiang Rai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 ฿44.44
$0.80 ฿25.33
75.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.70 ฿370
$22.77 ฿721
-48.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿98.4
$1.41 ฿44.55
120.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 ฿31.48
$1.30 ฿41.27
-23.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.73 ฿435
$8.24 ฿261
66.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ฿41.75
$1.28 ฿40.46
3.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K ฿862.0K
$20.1K ฿635.7K
35.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K ฿1.1M
$22.4K ฿710.5K
51.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Chiang Rai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ฿3,811
$48.56 ฿1,537
147.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿441
$13.91 ฿440
0.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 ฿579
$15.11 ฿478
21.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Chiang Rai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.9 ฿1,928
$48.77 ฿1,544
24.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.23 ฿545
$12.43 ฿394
38.62%
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 ฿276
$3.61 ฿114
141.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Chiang Rai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.1K
$307 ฿9,719
127.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.7K ฿498.0K
$7,823 ฿247.6K
101.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Chiang Rai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 ฿1,824
$56.4 ฿1,784
2.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.24 ฿1,084
$26.66 ฿844
28.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 ฿3,582
$71.9 ฿2,276
57.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,684
$71.5 ฿2,262
18.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Chiang Rai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$604 ฿19.1K
$271 ฿8,588
122.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 ฿13.8K
$255 ฿8,075
70.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,057 ฿65.1K
$765 ฿24.2K
168.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,498 ฿47.4K
$502 ฿15.9K
198.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,252 ฿134.6K
$2,029 ฿64.2K
109.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,988 ฿94.6K
$1,009 ฿31.9K
196.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Chiang Rai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$529 ฿16.7K
$636 ฿20.1K
-16.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
5
6.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

Last update for Chiang Rai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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