Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chittagong

For one person, living is cheaper in Chittagong: $375 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Chittagong
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Chittagong Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Chittagong

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$375

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Chittagong

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Phuket vs $375 in Chittagong, rent included.

Phuket $1,190
Chittagong $375

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Phuket vs $624 in Chittagong, rent included.

Phuket $2,006
Chittagong $624

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Phuket vs $874 in Chittagong, rent included.

Phuket $2,822
Chittagong $874

Phuket costs about 217% more than Chittagong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Chittagong are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Chittagong 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$2.06 ৳254

111.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$12.14 ৳1,492

167.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$5.32 ৳653

58.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 ৳333

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.96 ৳486

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$1.91 ৳235

47.12%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.37 ৳45.16

135.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$0.13 ৳15.64

253.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$0.81 ৳99.2

111.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.56 ৳68.8

158.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$0.66 ৳80.6

136.36%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$1.13 ৳139

85.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$7.33 ৳900

166.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$2.14 ৳262

58.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$7.33 ৳901

51.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$2.28 ৳280

24.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$0.91 ৳112

78.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$2.07 ৳255

7.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$0.85 ৳105

152.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.44 ৳53.5

238.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.77 ৳94.8

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$0.46 ৳56.4

132.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.32 ৳39.34

59.38%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.22 ৳519

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ৳97.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 ৳175

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$3.03 ৳372

44.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$0.23 ৳28.34

843.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$0.80 ৳98.0

277.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.55 ৳67.8

92.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.99 ৳490

-7.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.15 ৳141

24.35%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$31.9K ৳3.9M

-17.41%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$44.5K ৳5.5M

-41.12%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$29.48 ৳3,622

227.88%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$5.58 ৳685

104.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$12.14 ৳1,492

40.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$19.55 ৳2,401

170.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$14.27 ৳1,753

-22.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$3.72 ৳457

105.65%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$35.12 ৳4,314

1479.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$1,439 ৳176.8K

683.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$23.03 ৳2,828

175.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$19.37 ৳2,379

47.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$56.4 ৳6,925

71.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$35.48 ৳4,358

149.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$126 ৳15.4K

484.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$61.3 ৳7,524

647.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$272 ৳33.4K

672.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$168 ৳20.6K

606.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$800 ৳98.3K

336.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$476 ৳58.5K

422.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$284 ৳34.9K

76.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.5

-51.57%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chittagong: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Chittagong

$61 16.5% 86.6% $397

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Chittagong

$113 30.6% 57.7% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Chittagong

$47 12.7% 62.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Chittagong

$60 16.3% 51.6% $64

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Chittagong

$57 15.5% 51.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Chittagong

$27 7.3% 60.4% $41

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Chittagong

$4.5 * 1.2% 88.6% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $735 in Phuket versus $126 in Chittagong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 76% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $12.00 in Chittagong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $113 – making Chittagong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇩 Chittagong

🕒 Local time

20:29 8:29 PM

19:29 7:29 PM

1 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,592,439

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.27 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.14 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.27 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Chittagong 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Chittagong

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 Chittagong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,190 in Phuket, $375 in Chittagong – roughly 217% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Phuket and $562 in Chittagong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chittagong, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $12.00 in Chittagong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 136% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Chittagong, where all-in costs run around $375, than in Phuket at $1,190. In Chittagong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $375 in Chittagong to $1,190 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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