Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,169 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gizo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,169 in Gizo.

Phuket $1,278
Gizo $2,169

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,078 in Gizo.

Phuket $2,216
Gizo $3,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,987 in Gizo.

Phuket $3,154
Gizo $3,987

Living in Phuket costs roughly 41% less than in Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Gizo is 59% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.16 SBD 25.48

41.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$55.9 SBD 451

-42.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$15.52 SBD 125

-43.23%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.75 SBD 22.12

2.91%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.27 SBD 10.26

-31.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.22 SBD 9.81

-59.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.43 SBD 19.58

5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.46 SBD 19.83

49.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.21 SBD 25.83

-48.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.40 SBD 11.25

4.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.45 SBD 11.68

3.45%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$7.03 SBD 56.6

-70.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.92 SBD 71.9

113.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.27 SBD 50.5

-47.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.54 SBD 68.8

27.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$6.68 SBD 53.8

-56.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$6.09 SBD 49.07

-72.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$6.08 SBD 48.95

-62.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.14 SBD 25.29

-33.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.06 SBD 24.64

-50.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$2.43 SBD 19.59

-43.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$2.53 SBD 20.38

-57.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.38 SBD 11.08

-62.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.24 SBD 34.14

-0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.30 SBD 99.1

52.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.83 SBD 14.77

-0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.25 SBD 18.10

26.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.39 SBD 3.11

271.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$30.48 SBD 246

85.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.26 SBD 10.15

139.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$2.55 SBD 20.52

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$12.61 SBD 102

-70.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.76 SBD 14.19

-16.48%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$20.8K SBD 167.7K

28.60%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$21.8K SBD 175.5K

22.54%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$749 SBD 6,033

-87.13%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.86 SBD 112

-18.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$125 SBD 1,011

-86.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$18.34 SBD 148

266.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$6.30 SBD 50.7

70.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.36 SBD 35.10

72.02%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$125 SBD 1,010

279.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$1,246 SBD 10.0K

803.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$25.56 SBD 206

143.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$94.2 SBD 759

-69.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$101 SBD 814

-6.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$87.8 SBD 707

-2.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$593 SBD 4,776

20.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$584 SBD 4,708

-16.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$623 SBD 5,015

209.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,261 SBD 10.2K

13.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$85.7K SBD 690.0K

-95.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$401 SBD 3,234

25.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.33

-65.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Gizo

$584 26.9% 19.1% $94

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 32.4% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Gizo

$888 41% 614% $764

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gizo

$139 6.4% 13.9% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 8.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Gizo

$27 1.3% 67.1% $55

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 34.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $593 in Gizo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 25% 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 $56 in Gizo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $353 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

7,177

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.99 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Gizo 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gizo

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 Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Gizo. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 25% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $593 in Gizo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Gizo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $56 in Gizo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,169 in Gizo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Gizo. 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Gizo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.