Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Golden Grove

For one person, living is cheaper in Golden Grove: $1,008 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Golden Grove
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Golden Grove Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Golden Grove

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Golden Grove

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,008 in Golden Grove.

Phuket $1,278
Golden Grove $1,008

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,665 in Golden Grove.

Phuket $2,216
Golden Grove $1,665

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,322 in Golden Grove.

Phuket $3,154
Golden Grove $2,322

Living in Phuket is roughly 27% more expensive than in Golden Grove, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Golden Grove 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.78 JMD 2,176

-67.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$74.7 JMD 11.8K

-56.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.06 JMD 1,273

9.31%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$5.45 JMD 860

-48.07%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.18 JMD 187

-26.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.69 JMD 109

-28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.16 JMD 341

18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.21 JMD 507

14.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$4.15 JMD 655

-60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$3.71 JMD 587

-60.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.56 JMD 247

-3.85%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.46 JMD 546

-39.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$11.23 JMD 1,774

69.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.13 JMD 968

-46.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.14 JMD 1,600

7.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$6.17 JMD 974

-52.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$3.83 JMD 604

-55.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$7.32 JMD 1,156

-69.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.96 JMD 467

-29.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$3.15 JMD 498

-52.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.61 JMD 412

-47.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$3.14 JMD 496

-65.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.44 JMD 227

-63.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.30 JMD 1,469

-54.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$11.23 JMD 1,773

67.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.80 JMD 442

-35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.98 JMD 628

-28.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.27 JMD 201

137.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$3.13 JMD 494

-67.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$6.40 JMD 1,011

-42.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.45 JMD 228

1.38%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$43.4K JMD 6.9M

-38.31%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

-18.16%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$171 JMD 27.0K

-43.66%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.71 JMD 4,692

-62.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$53.1 JMD 8,390

-68.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.32 JMD 2,102

-43.69%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$367 JMD 58.0K

29.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$8,099 JMD 1.3M

39.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$23.46 JMD 3,705

165.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$32.03 JMD 5,058

-11.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$79.2 JMD 12.5K

19.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$101 JMD 16.0K

-15.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Golden Grove: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Golden Grove

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Golden Grove

$380 37.7% 42.8% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Golden Grove

$254 25.2% 104% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Golden Grove

$106 10.5% 12.9% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Golden Grove

$225 22.3% 84.5% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Golden Grove

$27 * 2.6% 67.6% $56

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Golden Grove

$17 * 1.7% 76% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $75 in Golden Grove for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $380 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇲 Golden Grove

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

19:13 7:13 PM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,058

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Golden Grove 17,090 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Golden Grove

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 Golden Grove: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,008 in Golden Grove, so Golden Grove is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,513 in Golden Grove to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 30% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,008 in Golden Grove – Golden Grove is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Golden Grove gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.