Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Freetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,778 in Freetown, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Freetown outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Freetown

🇸🇱 Sierra Leone

$1,778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Freetown

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,778 in Freetown, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Freetown $1,778

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,510 in Freetown, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Freetown $1,510

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,242 in Freetown, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Freetown $1,242

Phuket is about 28% cheaper than Freetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Freetown is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.06 SLL 47.0K

116.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$39.83 SLL 909.5K

-18.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.04 SLL 252.0K

-20.20%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.2

$2.79 SLL 63.6K

1.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.36

$1.81 SLL 41.4K

-51.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.63

$0.89 SLL 20.3K

-44.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.31 SLL 52.6K

10.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.49 SLL 79.6K

5.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.38 SLL 54.4K

-30.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.24

$0.63 SLL 14.4K

131.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.26 SLL 28.8K

19.05%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.85 SLL 42.3K

12.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$7.19 SLL 164.2K

165.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.97 SLL 227.6K

-66.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$5.35 SLL 122.2K

103.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$6.80 SLL 155.3K

-56.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.92 SLL 66.7K

-42.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$0.68 SLL 15.6K

230.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿69.9

$4.92 SLL 112.2K

-57.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.95 SLL 44.6K

-22.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.45

$1.60 SLL 36.4K

-13.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.90

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.48

$1.11 SLL 25.3K

-53.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.03 SLL 69.3K

38.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$8.02 SLL 183.1K

134.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.54 SLL 35.2K

18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.03 SLL 46.4K

39.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$0.42 SLL 9,498

245.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.48 SLL 10.9K

529.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.28

$0.48 SLL 11.0K

112.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.35 SLL 30.8K

8.89%

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

$26.8K ฿902.1K

$11.8K SLL 268.8M

127.46%

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

$26.7K ฿899.2K

$25.1K SLL 572.4M

6.48%

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

$96.4 ฿3,246

$59.2 SLL 1.4M

62.81%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.10 SLL 230.6K

11.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$55.9 SLL 1.3M

-69.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,265

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

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

$476 ฿16.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,101

$10.09 SLL 230.4K

518.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,177

$20.05 SLL 457.8K

370.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,891

$50.9 SLL 1.2M

68.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$942 SLL 21.5M

-23.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$1,240 SLL 28.3M

-60.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$3,508 SLL 80.1M

-45.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,332 SLL 30.4M

-62.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Freetown: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Freetown

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Freetown

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Freetown

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Freetown

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Freetown

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Freetown

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Freetown

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $942 in Freetown. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Freetown are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $40 in Freetown. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $259 in Freetown – so Freetown wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇱 Freetown

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

10:32 10:32 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

951,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sierra Leonean Leone SLL Le

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD

100,000 SLL = 3.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SLL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Sierra Leonean Leone exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 22,833 SLL (100,000 SLL = 4.38 USD). 1 EUR = 25,540 SLL (100,000 SLL = 3.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Freetown 12,230 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Freetown

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 Freetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,778 in Freetown – Phuket comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,667 in Freetown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $942 in Freetown.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $40 in Freetown. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,778 in Freetown. That makes Phuket about 28% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Freetown at $1,778. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Freetown it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,778 in Freetown. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Freetown makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.