Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hai Phong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Phong: $699 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Hai Phong
Learn more

Hai Phong Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Hai Phong

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hai Phong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $699 in Hai Phong.

Phuket $1,207
Hai Phong $699

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,182 in Hai Phong.

Phuket $2,037
Hai Phong $1,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,666 in Hai Phong.

Phuket $2,867
Hai Phong $1,666

Living in Phuket is roughly 73% more expensive than in Hai Phong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Hai Phong 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$1.50 ₫38.9K

205.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$19.34 ₫500.6K

67.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.12 ₫106.7K

107.52%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.84 ₫47.5K

47.83%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.51 ₫13.2K

84.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.32 ₫8,333

53.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.74 ₫19.1K

250.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.57 ₫40.6K

143.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.52 ₫39.4K

14.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.51 ₫13.3K

180.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.75 ₫19.3K

104.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.50 ₫38.9K

44.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.47 ₫271.1K

82.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$3.70 ₫95.7K

-10.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$10.12 ₫262.1K

10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$3.40 ₫88.0K

-13.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.07 ₫27.8K

57.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.33 ₫34.3K

72.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.15 ₫29.9K

85.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.00 ₫25.9K

53.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.12 ₫29.1K

21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.59 ₫15.2K

89.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.56 ₫14.5K

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.18 ₫30.4K

261.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$12.71 ₫329.0K

43.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.75 ₫19.5K

132.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.61 ₫41.7K

73.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.39 ₫10.1K

469.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$5.75 ₫148.8K

283.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.81 ₫20.9K

259.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.60 ₫15.5K

68.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.88 ₫48.6K

103.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$0.87 ₫22.6K

71.26%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$30.9K ₫800.0M

-13.66%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$30.1K ₫778.1M

-11.13%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$44.74 ₫1.2M

122.11%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$5.11 ₫132.3K

120.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$9.04 ₫234.1K

92.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$22.76 ₫589.1K

129.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$7.91 ₫204.8K

37.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$4.23 ₫109.5K

78.96%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$151 ₫3.9M

269.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$4,624 ₫119.7M

148.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$47.19 ₫1.2M

33.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$21.00 ₫543.7K

36.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$85.4 ₫2.2M

12.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$77.0 ₫2.0M

14.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$247 ₫6.4M

195.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$246 ₫6.4M

86.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,026 ₫26.6M

104.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$632 ₫16.4M

93.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,340 ₫34.7M

158.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$948 ₫24.6M

162.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$501 ₫13.0M

-1.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-20.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hai Phong: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Hai Phong

$246 35.3% 46.4% $214

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Hai Phong

$191 27.3% 28.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Hai Phong

$59 8.4% 54% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Hai Phong

$104 14.9% 16.4% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Hai Phong

$57 8.1% 53.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Hai Phong

$31 4.5% 53.7% $36

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Hai Phong

$11 1.6% 71.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $247 in Hai Phong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hai Phong pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $19.00 in Hai Phong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $191 per month, with Hai Phong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Hai Phong

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,105,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hai Phong 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hai Phong

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 Hai Phong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Hai Phong differ by about 73% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $699 including rent). Hai Phong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 2% lower in Hai Phong. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $247 in Hai Phong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $699 in Hai Phong – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hai Phong runs roughly 284% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $699 in Hai Phong versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hai Phong but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Hai Phong 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 Hai Phong 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 Hai Phong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.