Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Duncans

For one person, living is cheaper in Duncans: $1,011 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Duncans
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Duncans Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Duncans

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Duncans

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,011 in Duncans, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Duncans $1,011

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,673 in Duncans, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Duncans $1,673

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,336 in Duncans, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Duncans $2,336

Phuket costs about 26% more than Duncans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Phuket and Duncans are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Duncans 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.60 JMD 2,144

-67.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$75.7 JMD 11.9K

-57.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.14 JMD 1,284

8.23%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$5.44 JMD 858

-47.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.14 JMD 180

-23.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.71 JMD 111

-30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.25 JMD 355

13.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.21 JMD 507

14.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$4.15 JMD 655

-60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.73 JMD 588

-60.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.58 JMD 249

-5.06%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.58 JMD 565

-41.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.50 JMD 1,813

65.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.21 JMD 979

-46.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.34 JMD 1,631

5.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$6.01 JMD 947

-51.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$3.97 JMD 625

-57.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$7.54 JMD 1,190

-70.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.02 JMD 476

-31.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.32 JMD 523

-54.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.61 JMD 411

-47.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$3.01 JMD 475

-64.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.43 JMD 226

-63.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.48 JMD 1,494

-55.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.25 JMD 1,775

67.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.78 JMD 439

-34.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.96 JMD 625

-28.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.27 JMD 200

137.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.20 JMD 505

-68.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.23 JMD 983

-40.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.45 JMD 228

1.38%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$44.1K JMD 7.0M

-39.26%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$32.2K JMD 5.1M

-16.99%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$171 JMD 27.0K

-43.75%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.64 JMD 4,674

-62.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$51.8 JMD 8,166

-67.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.41 JMD 2,115

-44.07%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$355 JMD 56.0K

33.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,307 JMD 1.3M

35.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$23.91 JMD 3,771

160.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$31.38 JMD 4,949

-9.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

19.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$103 JMD 16.3K

-16.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Duncans: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Duncans

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Duncans

$384 38% 44.2% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Duncans

$253 25% 103% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Duncans

$107 10.6% 12.4% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Duncans

$224 22.1% 83.7% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Duncans

$27 * 2.7% 67.4% $55

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Duncans

$17 * 1.7% 75.5% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $76 in Duncans. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $384 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇲 Duncans

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

10:22 10:22 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,153

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR 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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Duncans 17,050 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Duncans

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 Duncans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,517 in Duncans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,011 in Duncans. That’s a gap of about 26%.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $355 in Duncans. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,011 in Duncans, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Duncans to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.