Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,188 in Kaka, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. The total is higher in Kaka despite lower rent and utilities.

Phuket, Thailand
Kaka, Turkmenistan
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Kaka
🇹🇲 Turkmenistan
$2,188
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kaka

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,188 in Kaka, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Kaka $2,188

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,298 in Kaka, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Kaka $3,298

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,409 in Kaka, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Kaka $4,409

Phuket is about 42% cheaper than Kaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Kaka is 61% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Kaka
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$31.16 TMT 104
-85.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$84.8 TMT 284
-61.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$12.93 TMT 43.31
-31.86%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$6.93 TMT 23.23
-59.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.41
$1.54 TMT 5.16
-43.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$0.89 TMT 3.00
-44.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$5.85 TMT 19.60
-56.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$13.73 TMT 46.01
-73.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Kaka
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$4.38 TMT 14.68
-62.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.31
$2.08 TMT 6.97
-29.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$5.71 TMT 19.11
-73.73%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$6.07 TMT 20.35
-65.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$37.74 TMT 126
-49.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$19.89 TMT 66.6
-83.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$22.74 TMT 76.2
-52.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$5.04 TMT 16.89
-41.87%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$8.51 TMT 28.50
-80.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$7.53 TMT 25.23
-70.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$3.72 TMT 12.45
-44.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$2.35 TMT 7.86
-35.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.52
$1.40 TMT 4.67
-1.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.96
$2.65 TMT 8.86
-59.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$1.12 TMT 3.77
-53.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$26.17 TMT 87.7
-83.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$41.83 TMT 140
-55.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$5.17 TMT 17.30
-64.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$2.93 TMT 9.80
-3.07%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Kaka
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.98
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$2.83 TMT 9.49
6.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.33
$0.82 TMT 2.74
24.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$8.41 TMT 28.17
-56.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.76
$0.42 TMT 1.40
250.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.4K
$44.7K TMT 149.8K
-40.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.5K
$57.2K TMT 191.5K
-53.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Kaka
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,251
$570 TMT 1,910
-83.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$57.7 TMT 193
-80.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$105 TMT 351
-83.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Kaka
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$8.44 TMT 28.29
-11.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Kaka
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$22.91 TMT 76.8
1977.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.0K
$25.1K TMT 84.0K
-55.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Kaka
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,104
$56.5 TMT 189
10.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$114 TMT 381
-75.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,181
$362 TMT 1,211
-73.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,895
$195 TMT 653
-55.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Kaka
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Kaka
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
9.5
-41.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Kaka
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Kaka
$667 151% $401
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Kaka
$733 489% $608
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Kaka
$327 168% $205
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Kaka
$438 260% $316
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Kaka
$17 * 79.5% $65
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Kaka
$6.9 * 90.2% $64

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $85 in Kaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $667 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇹🇲 Kaka
🕒 Local time
07:46 7:46 AM
05:46 5:46 AM
2 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
33,315
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.35 TMT (1 TMT = 0.299 USD). 1 EUR = 3.74 TMT (1 TMT = 0.267 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Kaka 5,090 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Kaka

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 Kaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Kaka?
Kaka costs about 71% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Phuket and in Kaka?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,282 in Kaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Kaka?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,188 in Kaka. That makes Phuket about 42% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Phuket and in Kaka?
Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $23 in Kaka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Phuket or in Kaka?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Kaka at $2,188. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kaka it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Kaka?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $2,188 in Kaka. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Phuket compared to Kaka?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?