Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chilanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Chilanga: $586 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Chilanga
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Chilanga Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Chilanga

🇿🇲 Zambia

$586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chilanga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $586 in Chilanga.

Phuket $1,278
Chilanga $586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $929 in Chilanga.

Phuket $2,216
Chilanga $929

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,273 in Chilanga.

Phuket $3,154
Chilanga $1,273

Living in Phuket is roughly 118% more expensive than in Chilanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Chilanga 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.59 ZMW 113

-20.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$29.76 ZMW 601

8.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.16 ZMW 104

70.74%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.85 ZMW 57.6

-0.70%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.78 ZMW 15.75

11.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.48 ZMW 9.77

2.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.28 ZMW 25.95

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.28 ZMW 46.07

61.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.67 ZMW 33.80

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.17 ZMW 23.73

24.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.12 ZMW 42.80

-29.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.00 ZMW 40.32

4.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.19 ZMW 206

87.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.18 ZMW 125

-46.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.36 ZMW 128

71.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$3.35 ZMW 67.6

-12.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.47 ZMW 49.88

-31.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.58 ZMW 72.3

-37.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.51 ZMW 30.43

37.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.51 ZMW 50.7

-39.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.86 ZMW 37.57

-25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.15 ZMW 23.22

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.79 ZMW 16.01

-34.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.08 ZMW 62.3

36.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.92 ZMW 200

89.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.46 ZMW 29.51

24.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.33 ZMW 47.12

21.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.54 ZMW 51.3

18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.47 ZMW 29.74

-30.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$4.94 ZMW 99.8

-25.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.55 ZMW 31.28

-5.16%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$7,460 ZMW 150.7K

258.94%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$27.6K ZMW 558.5K

-3.46%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$81.3 ZMW 1,641

18.57%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.26 ZMW 207

9.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$54.8 ZMW 1,106

-69.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.09 ZMW 123

23.15%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$136 ZMW 2,740

250.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$16.5K ZMW 332.7K

-31.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$23.34 ZMW 471

167.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$15.13 ZMW 306

87.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$45.44 ZMW 918

107.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$73.8 ZMW 1,491

16.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-80.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chilanga: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Chilanga

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Chilanga

$236 40.3% 11.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Chilanga

$146 25% 17.5% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chilanga

$71 12.1% 41.8% $51

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Chilanga

$110 18.9% 9.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Chilanga

$12 * 2.1% 85.2% $70

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Chilanga

$9.9 * 1.7% 86% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $30 in Chilanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $236 per month, with Chilanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇿🇲 Chilanga

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

15:53 3:53 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

107,051

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ZMW = 4.95 USD

100 ZMW = 4.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 20.2 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.95 USD). 1 EUR = 22.54 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Chilanga 8,150 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chilanga

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 Chilanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $586 in Chilanga, so Chilanga is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $879 in Chilanga 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.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $136 in Chilanga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chilanga – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $586 in Chilanga versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Chilanga but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Chilanga 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.