Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ha Long

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha Long: $779 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Ha Long
Learn more

Ha Long Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ha Long

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $779 in Ha Long, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Ha Long $779

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,242 in Ha Long, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Ha Long $1,242

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,705 in Ha Long, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Ha Long $1,705

Phuket costs about 64% more than Ha Long, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Ha Long are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Ha Long 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.99 ₫51.2K

124.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$19.06 ₫490.8K

70.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.40 ₫113.3K

100.23%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.71 ₫44.1K

65.50%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.52 ₫13.3K

67.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.30 ₫7,849

63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$0.86 ₫22.2K

197.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.50 ₫38.5K

145.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.50 ₫38.5K

10.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.07 ₫27.5K

36.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.03 ₫26.6K

45.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.55 ₫39.9K

34.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.02 ₫309.5K

58.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.71 ₫95.6K

-11.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.84 ₫253.3K

10.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$3.04 ₫78.2K

-3.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.06 ₫27.4K

59.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.31 ₫33.8K

71.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.23 ₫31.6K

69.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.99 ₫25.5K

52.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.09 ₫28.1K

26.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.62 ₫15.9K

72.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.55 ₫14.3K

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.39 ₫35.7K

202.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$11.37 ₫292.7K

65.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.89 ₫22.9K

104.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.67 ₫43.1K

70.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.34 ₫8,847

326.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$6.42 ₫165.3K

782.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.73 ₫18.9K

313.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.60 ₫15.6K

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.54 ₫65.3K

45.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.93 ₫24.0K

58.06%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$30.3K ₫779.6M

-11.56%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$28.2K ₫727.0M

-5.46%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$77.0 ₫2.0M

25.11%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.70 ₫146.7K

97.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$8.93 ₫230.0K

88.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$22.86 ₫588.6K

194.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$7.58 ₫195.1K

41.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.31 ₫85.2K

126.59%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$185 ₫4.8M

156.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$13.6K ₫350.5M

-17.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$46.16 ₫1.2M

35.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$26.56 ₫683.9K

6.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$82.7 ₫2.1M

14.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$79.3 ₫2.0M

8.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$409 ₫10.5M

74.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$283 ₫7.3M

73.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$816 ₫21.0M

136.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$615 ₫15.8M

132.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,231 ₫57.5M

87.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,200 ₫30.9M

153.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$231 ₫5.9M

117.53%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Ha Long: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ha Long

$283 36.3% 42.4% $208

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ha Long

$198 25.4% 25.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ha Long

$92 11.8% 26.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ha Long

$106 13.6% 13.4% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ha Long

$60 7.7% 50.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ha Long

$29 3.8% 64.2% $53

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ha Long

$12 1.5% 83.6% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $409 in Ha Long. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Phuket are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $19 in Ha Long. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $198 – making Ha Long the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Ha Long

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

270,054

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 25,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,861 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Phuket
Ha Long

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: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $779 in Ha Long – Ha Long comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,169 in Ha Long. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ha Long, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $19 in Ha Long. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ha Long, where all-in costs run around $779, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Ha Long it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ha Long – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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