Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Fort Portal

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort Portal: $364 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Fort Portal, Uganda
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Fort Portal
🇺🇬 Uganda
$364
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Fort Portal

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $364 in Fort Portal, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Fort Portal $364

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $574 in Fort Portal, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Fort Portal $574

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $783 in Fort Portal, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Fort Portal $783

Phuket costs about 255% more than Fort Portal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Fort Portal are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Fort Portal 73% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Fort Portal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿148
$2.37 UGX 10.1K
85.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,090
$23.66 UGX 101.1K
36.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿294
$6.93 UGX 29.6K
25.54%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.9
$2.46 UGX 10.5K
10.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.38
$0.37 UGX 1,565
151.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.85
$0.24 UGX 1,017
108.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.4
$1.20 UGX 5,116
110.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$1.72 UGX 7,331
111.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Fort Portal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.7
$0.27 UGX 1,141
544.44%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$0.68 UGX 2,888
113.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$0.90 UGX 3,845
66.67%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.3
$1.15 UGX 4,899
88.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿644
$4.12 UGX 17.6K
363.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿115
$4.14 UGX 17.7K
-17.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿368
$3.12 UGX 13.3K
249.36%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿99.2
$1.96 UGX 8,355
50.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$0.71 UGX 3,036
138.03%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿74.0
$1.20 UGX 5,119
82.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.6
$1.13 UGX 4,850
87.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿49.19
$1.20 UGX 5,142
21.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿46.14
$0.57 UGX 2,417
140.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.29
$0.73 UGX 3,122
47.95%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.40
$0.49 UGX 2,073
12.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$2.30 UGX 9,828
92.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿616
$4.57 UGX 19.5K
299.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.8
$0.68 UGX 2,886
160.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿97.2
$0.93 UGX 3,966
209.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Fort Portal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.82
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,851
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.49 UGX 2,093
208.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.17
$0.28 UGX 1,180
178.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$2.89 UGX 12.3K
32.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿50.2
$1.16 UGX 4,970
28.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿906.7K
$6,927 UGX 29.6M
288.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿888.6K
$6,921 UGX 29.6M
280.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Fort Portal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,299
$66.9 UGX 285.9K
46.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿381
$11.00 UGX 47.0K
2.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿580
$32.84 UGX 140.4K
-47.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Fort Portal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,305
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿368
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿251
$7.16 UGX 30.6K
3.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Fort Portal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.9K
$267 UGX 1.1M
98.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿633.5K
$16.1K UGX 68.8M
16.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Fort Portal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,080
$13.23 UGX 56.5K
366.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿953
$12.29 UGX 52.5K
129.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,238
$30.84 UGX 131.8K
211.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,928
$40.94 UGX 174.9K
112.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Fort Portal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.3K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.8K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿47.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿141.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿111.3K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Fort Portal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.6K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
20.75
-73.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Fort Portal: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Fort Portal
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Fort Portal
$112 57.9% $154
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Fort Portal
$111 12.3% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Fort Portal
$44 64.3% $79
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Fort Portal
$81 32.2% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Fort Portal
$14 * 82.8% $69
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Fort Portal
$1.9 * 97.2% $64

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 $24 in Fort Portal. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $112 – making Fort Portal the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇺🇬 Fort Portal
🕒 Local time
18:26 6:26 PM
14:26 2:26 PM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
54,275
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4,273 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.34 USD). 1 EUR = 4,791 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.09 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Fort Portal 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Fort Portal

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 Fort Portal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Fort Portal?
Phuket costs about 255% more than Fort Portal, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Fort Portal?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $546 in Fort Portal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do dining costs compare in Phuket and in Fort Portal?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $24 in Fort Portal. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Phuket or in Fort Portal?
Groceries cost about 137% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Phuket or in Fort Portal?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Fort Portal, where all-in costs run around $364, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Fort Portal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Fort Portal?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $364 in Fort Portal to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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