Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hanoi

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanoi: $801 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$801

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hanoi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $801 in Hanoi.

Phuket $1,278
Hanoi $801

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,246 in Hanoi.

Phuket $2,216
Hanoi $1,246

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,691 in Hanoi.

Phuket $3,154
Hanoi $1,691

Living in Phuket is roughly 60% more expensive than in Hanoi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Hanoi 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.00 ₫51.6K

123.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$23.34 ₫602.1K

38.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.40 ₫113.7K

100.23%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.93 ₫49.9K

46.63%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.48 ₫12.3K

81.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.33 ₫8,605

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.06 ₫27.4K

141.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.96 ₫50.6K

87.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.51 ₫39.1K

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.05 ₫27.1K

39.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.80 ₫20.8K

87.50%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.46 ₫37.6K

43.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.48 ₫296.3K

66.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.55 ₫91.7K

-7.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.10 ₫260.6K

8.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.11 ₫80.1K

-5.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.01 ₫26.0K

67.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.33 ₫34.3K

69.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.05 ₫27.1K

98.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.91 ₫23.6K

65.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.15 ₫29.6K

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.54 ₫14.0K

98.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.55 ₫14.1K

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.37 ₫35.3K

206.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.82 ₫304.9K

58.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.88 ₫22.8K

106.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.71 ₫44.0K

66.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.41 ₫10.5K

253.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$10.68 ₫275.4K

430.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.80 ₫20.6K

277.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.56 ₫14.4K

82.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.38 ₫61.4K

55.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.91 ₫23.4K

61.54%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$31.1K ₫803.1M

-13.97%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$28.6K ₫737.8M

-6.66%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$83.5 ₫2.2M

15.42%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.22 ₫134.8K

115.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$8.78 ₫226.5K

91.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$27.23 ₫702.5K

146.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$9.64 ₫248.8K

11.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.61 ₫118.9K

62.69%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$867 ₫22.4M

-45.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$27.7K ₫714.3M

-59.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$46.55 ₫1.2M

33.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$26.64 ₫687.3K

6.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$83.5 ₫2.2M

12.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$76.3 ₫2.0M

12.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$429 ₫11.1M

66.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$287 ₫7.4M

71.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$874 ₫22.6M

120.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$549 ₫14.2M

160.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$4,936 ₫127.4M

-15.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,835 ₫73.2M

7.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$512 ₫13.2M

-1.92%

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 Hanoi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Hanoi

$287 35.8% 41.6% $204

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Hanoi

$195 24.3% 26.9% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Hanoi

$97 12.2% 21.7% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hanoi

$105 13.1% 14% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hanoi

$65 8.1% 46.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Hanoi

$36 4.6% 55.7% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Hanoi

$16 2% 77.5% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $429 in Hanoi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $23 in Hanoi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $195 per month, with Hanoi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,587,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hanoi 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hanoi

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 Hanoi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $801 in Hanoi, so Hanoi is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,201 in Hanoi 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: $716 in Phuket versus $429 in Hanoi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hanoi runs roughly 81% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $867 in Hanoi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $801 in Hanoi versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hanoi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Hanoi 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 Hanoi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Hanoi 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.