Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Didim

For one person, living is cheaper in Didim: $1,006 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Didim
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Didim Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Didim

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Didim

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,006 in Didim.

Phuket $1,294
Didim $1,006

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,541 in Didim.

Phuket $2,204
Didim $1,541

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,075 in Didim.

Phuket $3,115
Didim $2,075

Living in Phuket is roughly 29% more expensive than in Didim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Didim 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$7.97 ₺398

-44.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$29.80 ₺1,490

8.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$7.89 ₺395

10.27%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$3.47 ₺173

-21.61%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.27 ₺63.5

-26.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.37 ₺18.31

35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.95 ₺147

-14.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.65 ₺183

-0.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.02 ₺51.1

70.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$0.59 ₺29.42

145.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.82 ₺90.9

-17.58%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.35 ₺117

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$8.04 ₺402

137.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$3.95 ₺197

-13.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$20.23 ₺1,011

-46.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.56 ₺77.8

88.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.65 ₺82.4

2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$0.84 ₺41.79

160.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.02 ₺51.0

107.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$0.44 ₺22.20

231.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$0.42 ₺20.92

226.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.06 ₺53.2

1.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.59 ₺29.41

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.16 ₺108

105.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$11.79 ₺589

54.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.36 ₺118

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.92 ₺146

-1.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.69 ₺34.54

110.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$19.96 ₺998

175.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.27 ₺63.5

18.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$0.89 ₺44.58

-12.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$5.80 ₺290

-33.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.33 ₺66.3

12.03%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$39.9K ₺2.0M

-32.55%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$40.5K ₺2.0M

-34.92%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$69.5 ₺3,474

40.75%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$10.04 ₺502

12.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$13.90 ₺695

23.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$52.9 ₺2,647

29.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$6.18 ₺309

20.23%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$671 ₺33.6K

-20.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$10.2K ₺508.2K

84.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$47.46 ₺2,373

29.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$35.93 ₺1,796

-21.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$91.5 ₺4,577

4.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$78.4 ₺3,919

10.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$421 ₺21.0K

71.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$329 ₺16.4K

54.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$765 ₺38.2K

155.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$567 ₺28.3K

146.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$1,475 ₺73.7K

184.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$988 ₺49.4K

233.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$702 ₺35.1K

-29.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

40.44

-86.23%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Didim: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Didim

$329 32.7% 35.4% $180

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Didim

$218 21.7% 18.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Didim

$93 9.3% 26% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Didim

$114 11.3% 7.1% $8.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Didim

$158 15.7% 31.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Didim

$65 6.5% 21.5% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Didim

$28 2.8% 56.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $421 in Didim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Didim pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $30 in Didim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $218 per month, with Didim cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇷 Didim

🕒 Local time

01:55 1:55 AM

21:55 9:55 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

93,876

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 49.99 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.97 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Didim 7,810 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Didim

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 Didim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Didim wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Didim the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 30% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $421 in Didim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $671 in Didim. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Didim is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Didim are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Didim gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.