Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dali

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,737 in Dali, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Dali
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Dali Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Dali

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dali

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,737 in Dali, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Dali $1,737

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,635 in Dali, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Dali $2,635

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,533 in Dali, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Dali $3,533

Phuket is about 26% cheaper than Dali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Dali is 28% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.45 €12.08

-66.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$53.9 €48.42

-39.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.88 €7.08

11.80%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.58 €3.22

-20.95%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.73 €1.55

-49.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.14 €1.02

-57.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$4.35 €3.91

-41.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.88 €3.49

-5.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.64 €1.47

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.43 €1.29

2.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.38 €2.14

-36.97%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.14 €3.72

-49.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.38 €12.02

42.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.44 €7.58

-60.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.70 €10.51

-6.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.59 €2.33

13.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.80 €1.62

-6.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.67 €1.50

34.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.57 €2.31

-19.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.36 €1.22

11.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.13 €1.01

22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.64 €0.57

67.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.04 €0.94

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.42 €4.87

-22.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.88 €6.18

173.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.67 €1.50

8.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.00 €1.80

42.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.46 €2.21

-41.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$55.4 €49.75

2.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$7.39 €6.64

-59.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.07 €1.86

-50.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$22.65 €20.35

-83.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.61 €1.45

-8.70%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$30.6K €27.5K

-12.63%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$32.8K €29.5K

-18.69%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$182 €163

-47.06%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.39 €16.52

-38.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.53 €27.43

-44.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$73.6 €66.1

-8.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$26.13 €23.47

-58.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.36 €10.20

-33.98%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$384 €345

23.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,572 €5,904

71.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$66.2 €59.5

-5.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$32.52 €29.21

-12.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$67.3 €60.5

40.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$87.8 €78.9

-2.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$709 €637

0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$732 €658

-32.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,543 €1,387

24.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,314 €1,181

8.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,152 €2,831

32.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,694 €2,420

13.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,113 €1,000

-54.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.31

68.28%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dali: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Dali

$732 42.2% 49.2% $241

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Dali

$265 15.3% 0.5% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Dali

$231 13.3% 85.5% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dali

$114 6.6% 6.3% $7.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dali

$215 12.4% 76.8% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Dali

$96 5.6% 17.2% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Dali

$83 4.8% 17.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $709 in Dali. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Dali are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $54 in Dali. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $265 in Dali – so Dali wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇾 Dali

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

16:01 4:01 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

10,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Dali 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dali

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 Dali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,737 in Dali – roughly 36% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,605 in Dali. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $716 in Phuket and $709 in Dali. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $384 in Dali. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,737 in Dali. That’s a gap of about 36%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Dali at $1,737. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dali 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 $1,278 in Phuket to $1,737 in Dali. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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