Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jaco Beach Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jaco Beach

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,261 in Phuket versus $1,344 in Jaco Beach.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,276 in Phuket versus $2,155 in Jaco Beach.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,291 in Phuket versus $2,967 in Jaco Beach.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 6% less than in Jaco Beach, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Jaco Beach is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ฿153

$7.19 ₡3,242

-37.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.36 ฿1,567

$40.16 ₡18.1K

15.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 ฿292

$8.88 ₡4,006

-2.59%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ฿104

$3.86 ₡1,740

-19.95%

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

$0.68 ฿22.93

$1.58 ₡711

-56.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.46

$0.99 ₡449

-62.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.93 ₡1,322

-17.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ฿129

$2.89 ₡1,304

31.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ฿73.6

$1.39 ₡628

56.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.98 ₡894

-8.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 ฿73.6

$2.15 ₡971

1.40%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.43 ₡1,095

-7.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.93 ฿674

$10.04 ₡4,527

98.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ฿123

$8.30 ₡3,745

-56.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ฿459

$10.76 ₡4,853

26.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ฿111

$4.56 ₡2,057

-27.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.44 ₡648

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ฿78.9

$4.29 ₡1,936

-45.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.5

$3.11 ₡1,404

-34.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 ฿54.1

$1.35 ₡608

18.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ฿50.5

$1.35 ₡608

10.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿34.23

$0.91 ₡411

10.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.12

$1.74 ₡783

-72.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿150

$5.33 ₡2,406

-16.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.63 ฿630

$14.16 ₡6,387

31.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿60.4

$2.34 ₡1,054

-23.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ฿94.5

$1.94 ₡877

44.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 ฿47.99

$1.01 ₡457

40.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.33 ฿383

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ฿105

$1.86 ₡839

66.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.25

$1.79 ₡806

-41.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.63 ฿461

$7.70 ₡3,474

77.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.31

$1.41 ₡638

-7.09%

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

$27.3K ฿922.3K

$37.6K ₡17.0M

-27.48%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$32.8K ₡14.8M

1.24%

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

$123 ฿4,164

$72.8 ₡32.8K

69.20%

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

$13.81 ฿467

$21.44 ₡9,672

-35.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿626

$43.10 ₡19.4K

-57.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 ฿2,041

$47.12 ₡21.3K

28.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.80 ฿568

$23.97 ₡10.8K

-29.91%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ฿301

$9.68 ₡4,364

-8.16%

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

$687 ฿23.2K

$446 ₡201.0K

54.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿525.7K

$6,679 ₡3.0M

132.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.6 ฿1,949

$62.6 ₡28.2K

-7.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.66 ฿1,172

$50.6 ₡22.8K

-31.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,885

$127 ₡57.3K

-9.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 ฿2,871

$107 ₡48.2K

-20.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ฿20.9K

$551 ₡248.7K

11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 ฿15.0K

$503 ₡227.0K

-11.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,047 ฿69.2K

$1,859 ₡838.6K

10.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 ฿50.9K

$1,018 ₡459.0K

47.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,568 ฿120.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,511 ฿84.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$503 ฿17.0K

$396 ₡178.4K

27.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

10.17

-47.59%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 20, 2026

Last update for Jaco Beach: July 19, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $618 in Phuket and $551 in Jaco Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 27% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $40.00 in Jaco Beach. Groceries flip the comparison at $292 vs $295, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

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 Jaco Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 27% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $618 in Phuket versus $551 in Jaco Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $687 in Phuket versus $446 in Jaco Beach. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $46.00 versus $40.00 in Jaco Beach. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,261 in Phuket versus $1,344 in Jaco Beach, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Jaco Beach. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Jaco Beach, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Jaco Beach 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Jaco Beach. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.