Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ha Long Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha Long Bay: $759 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Ha Long Bay
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Ha Long Bay Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Ha Long Bay

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ha Long Bay

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 Ha Long Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $759 in Ha Long Bay.

Phuket $1,208
Ha Long Bay $759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,224 in Ha Long Bay.

Phuket $2,027
Ha Long Bay $1,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,688 in Ha Long Bay.

Phuket $2,845
Ha Long Bay $1,688

Living in Phuket is roughly 59% more expensive than in Ha Long Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Ha Long Bay 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$2.06 ₫53.2K

113.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,089

$19.24 ₫497.1K

67.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$4.35 ₫112.4K

101.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.60 ₫41.4K

76.88%

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

$0.90 ฿30.43

$0.38 ₫9,810

136.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$0.35 ₫9,088

34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$0.88 ₫22.7K

189.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$1.33 ₫34.4K

187.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$1.52 ₫39.3K

13.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.58

$1.12 ₫29.0K

31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$0.89 ₫23.1K

69.66%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.13 ₫29.2K

92.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿665

$10.47 ₫270.6K

88.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$3.80 ₫98.2K

-12.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$10.88 ₫281.2K

2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$2.94 ₫75.9K

-3.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$0.94 ₫24.2K

80.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.37 ₫35.3K

59.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$1.18 ₫30.4K

73.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.98 ₫25.3K

47.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$1.13 ₫29.2K

22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.04

$0.65 ₫16.8K

64.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$0.51 ₫13.3K

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$1.37 ₫35.5K

210.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$11.37 ₫293.8K

63.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$0.87 ₫22.4K

104.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$1.65 ₫42.7K

72.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$0.34 ₫8,888

564.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

$6.31 ₫163.2K

250.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$0.71 ₫18.4K

323.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$0.61 ₫15.7K

73.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$2.71 ₫70.0K

42.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$1.02 ₫26.5K

42.16%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

$33.2K ₫858.7M

-20.77%

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

$30.2K ₫779.2M

-10.65%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$71.9 ₫1.9M

34.12%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$6.52 ₫168.4K

69.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$8.58 ₫221.6K

99.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$22.65 ₫585.3K

130.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

$6.89 ₫178.0K

61.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$3.11 ₫80.3K

151.13%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$191 ₫4.9M

190.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

$14.2K ₫367.5M

-18.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$48.88 ₫1.3M

31.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$26.10 ₫674.5K

9.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$78.7 ₫2.0M

21.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$85.3 ₫2.2M

3.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$386 ₫10.0M

91.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$272 ₫7.0M

70.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$881 ₫22.8M

137.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$612 ₫15.8M

96.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

$2,009 ₫51.9M

73.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$1,215 ₫31.4M

107.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.28

-32.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ha Long Bay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Ha Long Bay

$272 35.8% 41.3% $191

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Ha Long Bay

$194 25.5% 27.9% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Ha Long Bay

$87 11.5% 30.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Ha Long Bay

$108 14.2% 13.5% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Ha Long Bay

$59 7.7% 51.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Ha Long Bay

$29 3.8% 57.4% $39

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Ha Long Bay

$11 1.5% 71% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $386 in Ha Long Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $19 in Ha Long Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $194 per month, with Ha Long Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Ha Long Bay

🕒 Local time

01:53 1:53 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

270,054

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 25,840 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,952 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ha Long Bay 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ha Long Bay

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 Ha Long Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha Long Bay is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,138 in Ha Long Bay 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $386 in Ha Long Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ha Long Bay runs roughly 71% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $191 in Ha Long Bay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $759 in Ha Long Bay versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ha Long Bay but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ha Long Bay 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 Ha Long Bay are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ha Long Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.