Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Freeport

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,659 in Freeport, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Freeport
Learn more

Freeport Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Freeport

🇧🇸 Bahamas

$2,659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Freeport

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,659 in Freeport.

Phuket $1,278
Freeport $2,659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $4,307 in Freeport.

Phuket $2,216
Freeport $4,307

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,955 in Freeport.

Phuket $3,154
Freeport $5,955

Living in Phuket costs roughly 52% less than in Freeport, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Freeport is 95% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$47.77 BSD 47.77

-90.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$98.9 BSD 98.9

-67.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.68 BSD 12.68

-30.52%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$6.54 BSD 6.54

-56.73%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$3.10 BSD 3.10

-71.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.80 BSD 2.80

-82.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.63 BSD 4.63

-44.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.95 BSD 6.95

-47.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.36 BSD 2.36

-29.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$5.52 BSD 5.52

-73.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$8.46 BSD 8.46

-82.27%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$8.86 BSD 8.86

-76.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$16.51 BSD 16.51

15.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.86 BSD 6.86

-51.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.91 BSD 13.91

-21.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$10.31 BSD 10.31

-71.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$4.08 BSD 4.08

-58.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$10.23 BSD 10.23

-78.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$12.85 BSD 12.85

-83.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$4.62 BSD 4.62

-67.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.53 BSD 2.53

-45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$4.28 BSD 4.28

-75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$3.32 BSD 3.32

-84.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$15.23 BSD 15.23

-72.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$20.33 BSD 20.33

-7.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$4.58 BSD 4.58

-37.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.77 BSD 1.77

-18.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.93 BSD 2.93

3.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.92 BSD 2.92

-65.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$101 BSD 101

-96.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.60 BSD 1.60

-8.13%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$37.2K BSD 37.2K

-28.03%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$34.9K BSD 34.9K

-23.59%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$270 BSD 270

-64.28%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$64.0 BSD 64.0

-82.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$66.2 BSD 66.2

-74.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$55.4 BSD 55.4

21.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$56.1 BSD 56.1

-80.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$17.90 BSD 17.90

-58.10%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$587 BSD 587

-18.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$8,599 BSD 8,599

30.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$49.43 BSD 49.43

26.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$92.0 BSD 92.0

2.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$69.7 BSD 69.7

23.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$985 BSD 985

-27.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$908 BSD 908

-45.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,202 BSD 2,202

-12.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,971 BSD 1,971

-27.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,206 BSD 4,206

-0.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,354 BSD 3,354

-9.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,543 BSD 1,543

-67.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.72

-56.21%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Freeport: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Freeport

$908 34.2% 85% $417

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Freeport

$580 * 21.8% 118% $314

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Freeport

$400 15% 221% $275

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Freeport

$95 * 3.6% 22% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Freeport

$559 21% 360% $438

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Freeport

$91 3.4% 10.9% $9

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Freeport

$25 * 0.9% 65.2% $46

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 $985 in Freeport. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Freeport pays about 3.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $99 in Freeport for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $580 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇸 Freeport

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

02:00 2:00 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

45,945

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahamian Dollar BSD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BSD = 1 USD

1 BSD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BSD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Freeport 16,170 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Freeport

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 Freeport: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,659 in Freeport, so Phuket is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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 $985 in Freeport. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $587 in Freeport. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $99 in Freeport. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,659 in Freeport, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Freeport. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Freeport on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.