Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
145

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hong Kong

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Hong Kong $3,005

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $4,643 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Hong Kong $4,643

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $6,281 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Hong Kong $6,281

Phuket is about 60% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 122% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$7.80 HK$61.2

-43.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$64.7 HK$508

-50.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.24 HK$48.97

40.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$5.01 HK$39.34

-43.51%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.29 HK$10.12

-30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.11 HK$8.74

-57.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$7.77 HK$61.0

-67.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.41 HK$50.3

-40.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.90 HK$22.79

-40.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.33 HK$18.29

-36.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.23 HK$17.51

-32.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.45 HK$27.04

-37.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$24.96 HK$196

-21.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$8.79 HK$69.0

-62.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$17.71 HK$139

-36.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$4.15 HK$32.59

-31.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.63 HK$20.62

-35.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$4.54 HK$35.65

-51.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.09 HK$32.08

-49.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$3.22 HK$25.25

-54.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$3.26 HK$25.56

-57.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.65 HK$12.94

-35.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.74 HK$13.62

-70.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$13.45 HK$106

-68.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$15.16 HK$119

22.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.97 HK$15.44

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.22 HK$17.42

28.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.28 HK$10.04

76.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$90.1 HK$707

-75.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.67 HK$28.84

-17.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.35 HK$10.60

-21.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$16.21 HK$127

-76.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$4.20 HK$32.94

-65.48%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$44.9K HK$352.2K

-41.33%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$36.8K HK$288.9K

-26.81%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$238 HK$1,865

-59.43%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$15.70 HK$123

-29.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$21.91 HK$172

-21.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$91.1 HK$715

-42.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.14 HK$71.8

22.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$12.96 HK$102

-39.74%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,172 HK$9,201

-52.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$22.2K HK$174.2K

-47.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$67.9 HK$533

-5.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$43.57 HK$342

-34.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$83.1 HK$652

14.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$123 HK$963

-28.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$2,255 HK$17.7K

-67.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,752 HK$13.7K

-73.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$5,173 HK$40.6K

-59.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-66.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$29.3K HK$229.7K

-88.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$17.5K HK$137.1K

-85.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$3,285 HK$25.8K

-84.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.79

46.97%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.3% 279% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Hong Kong

$410 13.7% 52.8% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Hong Kong

$275 9.2% 121% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Hong Kong

$143 4.8% 14.9% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Hong Kong

$203 6.7% 67.1% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Hong Kong

$117 3.9% 72.7% $49

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Hong Kong

$106 3.5% 168% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $2,255 in Hong Kong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 556% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $410 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Hong Kong 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hong Kong

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 Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $3,005 in Hong Kong – roughly 149% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $4,508 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $65.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $3,005 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 149%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $3,005 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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