Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Dong Xoai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dong Xoai: $784 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Dong Xoai
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Dong Xoai Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Dong Xoai

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Dong Xoai

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $784 in Dong Xoai, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Dong Xoai $784

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,254 in Dong Xoai, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Dong Xoai $1,254

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,724 in Dong Xoai, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Dong Xoai $1,724

Phuket costs about 63% more than Dong Xoai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Dong Xoai are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Dong Xoai 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.04 ₫52.6K

119.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$19.01 ₫489.5K

70.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.39 ₫113.0K

100.68%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.71 ₫44.1K

65.50%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.54 ₫14.0K

61.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.33 ₫8,568

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$0.86 ₫22.2K

197.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.50 ₫38.7K

145.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.55 ₫40.0K

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.07 ₫27.6K

36.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.04 ₫26.8K

44.23%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.49 ₫38.3K

40.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.30 ₫316.7K

55.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.81 ₫98.2K

-13.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.67 ₫249.1K

12.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.99 ₫77.0K

-2.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.10 ₫28.3K

53.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.38 ₫35.5K

63.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.22 ₫31.5K

70.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.00 ₫25.9K

51.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.13 ₫29.1K

22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.67 ₫17.2K

59.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.57 ₫14.6K

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.39 ₫35.9K

202.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$11.60 ₫298.6K

61.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.90 ₫23.2K

102.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.66 ₫42.7K

71.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.34 ₫8,858

326.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$6.52 ₫168.0K

769.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.76 ₫19.4K

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.60 ₫15.5K

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.52 ₫65.0K

46.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.93 ₫24.0K

58.06%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$31.3K ₫805.1M

-14.36%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$28.4K ₫732.4M

-6.16%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$78.3 ₫2.0M

23.01%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.93 ₫152.8K

89.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$8.75 ₫225.3K

92.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$23.21 ₫597.6K

189.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$7.54 ₫194.0K

42.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.33 ₫85.8K

125.23%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$191 ₫4.9M

149.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$13.9K ₫357.2M

-18.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$46.29 ₫1.2M

34.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$26.86 ₫691.7K

5.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$83.4 ₫2.1M

13.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$78.6 ₫2.0M

9.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$413 ₫10.6M

73.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$282 ₫7.3M

73.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$798 ₫20.5M

141.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$625 ₫16.1M

128.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,258 ₫58.1M

84.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,202 ₫30.9M

153.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.28

-32.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dong Xoai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Dong Xoai

$282 36% 42.5% $209

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Dong Xoai

$200 25.6% 24.8% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Dong Xoai

$93 11.9% 25.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dong Xoai

$106 13.5% 13.2% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Dong Xoai

$61 7.8% 50% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Dong Xoai

$30 3.8% 63.7% $52

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Dong Xoai

$12 1.5% 83.5% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $413 in Dong Xoai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $19 in Dong Xoai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $200 – making Dong Xoai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Dong Xoai

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

168,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 25,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,861 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Dong Xoai 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Dong Xoai

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 Dong Xoai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $784 in Dong Xoai – Dong Xoai comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,176 in Dong Xoai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dong Xoai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $784 in Dong Xoai. That makes Dong Xoai about 39% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 88% less in Dong Xoai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Dong Xoai, where all-in costs run around $784, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Dong Xoai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dong Xoai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Dong Xoai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 39% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.