Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Da Lat

For one person, living is cheaper in Da Lat: $612 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Da Lat

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Da Lat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $612 in Da Lat.

Phuket $1,278
Da Lat $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $917 in Da Lat.

Phuket $2,216
Da Lat $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,221 in Da Lat.

Phuket $3,154
Da Lat $1,221

Living in Phuket is roughly 109% more expensive than in Da Lat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Da Lat 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.24 ₫57.8K

99.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$15.77 ₫406.8K

105.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.17 ₫133.3K

70.41%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.66 ₫42.9K

70.48%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.58 ₫15.1K

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.31 ₫7,957

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.87 ₫22.4K

194.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.56 ₫40.4K

135.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.58 ₫40.8K

5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.26 ₫32.5K

15.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.21 ₫31.3K

23.97%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.64 ₫42.3K

27.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$7.52 ₫194.1K

153.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.07 ₫105.0K

-18.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.47 ₫115.3K

144.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.14 ₫106.8K

-29.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.81 ₫46.8K

-6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.23 ₫83.2K

-30.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.61 ₫41.5K

29.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.75 ₫45.1K

-13.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.56 ₫40.2K

-11.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.70 ₫18.2K

52.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.52 ₫13.4K

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.69 ₫43.7K

148.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.12 ₫209.5K

131.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.48 ₫12.4K

279.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.15 ₫55.6K

32.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.34 ₫8,765

326.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.57 ₫14.7K

429.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.08 ₫27.8K

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.84 ₫21.6K

75.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$39.51 ₫1.0M

143.86%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$4.41 ₫113.7K

155.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$14.89 ₫384.2K

13.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$12.83 ₫331.0K

424.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.89 ₫48.7K

296.83%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$289 ₫7.5M

147.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$276 ₫7.1M

78.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$645 ₫16.6M

198.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$464 ₫12.0M

208.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$422 ₫10.9M

19.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Da Lat: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Da Lat

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Da Lat

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Da Lat

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Da Lat

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Da Lat

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Da Lat

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Da Lat

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $289 in Da Lat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 19% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Da Lat for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $189 per month, with Da Lat cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Da Lat

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

258,014

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,794 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Da Lat 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Da Lat

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 Da Lat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $612 in Da Lat, so Da Lat is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 19% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $289 in Da Lat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Da Lat – a meal for two runs $16 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $612 in Da Lat – Da Lat is about 52% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $612 in Da Lat versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Da Lat but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Da Lat 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 Da Lat are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Da Lat wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.