Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Crooked Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,193 in Crooked Island, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Crooked Island, Bahamas
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Crooked Island
🇧🇸 Bahamas
$2,193
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Crooked Island

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,193 in Crooked Island.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Crooked Island $2,193

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,537 in Crooked Island.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Crooked Island $3,537

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,882 in Crooked Island.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Crooked Island $4,882

Living in Phuket costs roughly 42% less than in Crooked Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Crooked Island is 61% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Crooked Island
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$49.20 BSD 49.20
-90.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
-
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$13.18 BSD 13.18
-33.16%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$4.02 BSD 4.02
-29.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.40
$4.03 BSD 4.03
-78.41%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$1.98 BSD 1.98
-75.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$5.10 BSD 5.10
-49.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$5.14 BSD 5.14
-28.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Crooked Island
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$7.91 BSD 7.91
-79.01%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.29
$5.89 BSD 5.89
-75.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$3.56 BSD 3.56
-57.87%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$11.43 BSD 11.43
-81.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$13.07 BSD 13.07
45.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
-
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$7.90 BSD 7.90
38.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.8
$14.30 BSD 14.30
-79.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
-
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$1.22 BSD 1.22
84.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$11.97 BSD 11.97
-82.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$2.18 BSD 2.18
-30.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.51
$2.85 BSD 2.85
-51.58%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.95
$0.98 BSD 0.98
9.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.50
$2.04 BSD 2.04
-74.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
-
-
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$29.46 BSD 29.46
-36.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$4.91 BSD 4.91
-62.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$4.87 BSD 4.87
-41.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Crooked Island
Difference
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
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.32
$2.02 BSD 2.02
-49.50%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.75
-
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.2K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.3K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Crooked Island
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,250
$217 BSD 217
-55.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$60.7 BSD 60.7
-81.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$68.9 BSD 68.9
-75.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Crooked Island
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Crooked Island
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.9K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Crooked Island
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,103
$81.0 BSD 81.0
-23.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$49.30 BSD 49.30
-42.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,180
$246 BSD 246
-61.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,894
$100 BSD 100
-14.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Crooked Island
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$554 BSD 554
29.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$549 BSD 549
-10.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$1,583 BSD 1,583
21.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$1,623 BSD 1,623
-11.84%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Crooked Island
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$1,109 BSD 1,109
-54.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
0
-

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Crooked Island: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Crooked Island
–
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Crooked Island
–
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Crooked Island
–
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Crooked Island
–
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Crooked Island
–
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Crooked Island
–
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Crooked Island
–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $554 in Crooked Island. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Crooked Island pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇧🇸 Crooked Island
🕒 Local time
21:01 9:01 PM
09:01 9:01 AM
12 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

BSD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.896 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Crooked Island 16,520 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Crooked Island

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 Crooked Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Phuket and in Crooked Island?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,193 in Crooked Island, so Phuket is about 42% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Phuket and in Crooked Island?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $554 in Crooked Island. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Crooked Island. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Phuket or Crooked Island?
All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $2,193 in Crooked Island – Phuket is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,193 in Crooked Island, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Crooked Island. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Phuket and Crooked Island?
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.
Is Phuket or Crooked Island safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Crooked Island are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Phuket and Crooked Island?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Crooked Island on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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