Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fiji

For one person, living is cheaper in Fiji: $693 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Fiji
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Fiji Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Fiji

🇫🇯 Fiji

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Fiji

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $693 in Fiji.

Phuket $1,278
Fiji $693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,145 in Fiji.

Phuket $2,216
Fiji $1,145

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,597 in Fiji.

Phuket $3,154
Fiji $1,597

Living in Phuket is roughly 84% more expensive than in Fiji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Fiji 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.32 FJD 9.63

3.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$32.72 FJD 73.0

-0.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.41 FJD 14.29

37.44%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.39 FJD 5.34

18.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.34 FJD 2.99

-35.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.03 FJD 2.30

-52.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$4.11 FJD 9.17

-37.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.89 FJD 8.68

-5.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.21 FJD 2.70

37.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.25 FJD 0.56

484.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.91 FJD 2.04

64.84%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.13 FJD 6.98

-33.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.50 FJD 23.42

81.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.37 FJD 11.98

-38.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.35 FJD 3.00

117.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.91 FJD 2.02

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.82 FJD 4.05

23.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.37 FJD 3.05

51.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.70 FJD 1.55

115.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.74 FJD 1.64

86.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.92 FJD 2.05

16.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.55 FJD 1.23

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$10.95 FJD 24.43

-61.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.04 FJD 13.48

211.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$4.05 FJD 9.04

-55.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.91 FJD 8.72

-27.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.86 FJD 1.92

68.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.14 FJD 2.54

164.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.27 FJD 2.83

15.75%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$44.8K FJD 100.0K

-40.26%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$52.4 FJD 117

83.87%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.11 FJD 29.24

-14.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$18.07 FJD 40.31

-6.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$22.50 FJD 50.2

198.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$4.33 FJD 9.65

147.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.08 FJD 9.11

83.82%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$44.81 FJD 100.0

962.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$19.03 FJD 42.44

227.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$29.91 FJD 66.7

215.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$677 FJD 1,510

5.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$263 FJD 586

86.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,129 FJD 2,518

70.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$610 FJD 1,361

134.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,281 FJD 2,857

226.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,289 FJD 2,876

136.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$533 FJD 1,188

-5.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Fiji: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Fiji

$263 37.9% 46.5% $228

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Fiji

$169 * 24.5% 36.3% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Fiji

$84 12.1% 32.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Fiji

$22 * 3.2% 81.9% $100

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Fiji

$120 17.4% 1.1% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Fiji

$31 4.4% 62.7% $52

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Fiji

$4.6 * 0.7% 93.5% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $677 in Fiji. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fiji pays 6% 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 $33 in Fiji. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $169, with Fiji cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇫🇯 Fiji

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

07:05 7:05 AM

5 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

92,043

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 FJD = 0.448 USD

1 FJD = 0.403 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.23 FJD (1 FJD = 0.448 USD). 1 EUR = 2.48 FJD (1 FJD = 0.403 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Fiji 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Fiji

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 Fiji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fiji is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and transport. The 84% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 6% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $677 in Fiji. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $693 in Fiji – a 84% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $693 in Fiji versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Fiji but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Fiji 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 Fiji are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.