Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kampong Cham Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kampong Cham

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,261 in Phuket versus $513 in Kampong Cham.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,078 in Phuket versus $803 in Kampong Cham.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,896 in Phuket versus $1,092 in Kampong Cham.

Living in Phuket is roughly 146% more expensive than in Kampong Cham, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Kampong Cham 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 ฿145

$2.44 ៛9,863

81.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.07 ฿1,151

$19.89 ៛80.4K

76.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.96 ฿294

$7.94 ៛32.1K

12.85%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.4

$1.54 ៛6,213

94.81%

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

$0.77 ฿25.33

$0.48 ៛1,946

60.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.44

$0.46 ៛1,864

2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 ฿78.6

$0.49 ៛1,966

389.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 ฿123

$1.52 ៛6,159

146.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 ฿59.8

$2.14 ៛8,656

-14.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ฿46.65

$1.76 ៛7,124

-19.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿50.8

$0.88 ៛3,535

76.14%

Eggs

$2.13 ฿69.9

$1.73 ៛7,002

23.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.76 ฿648

$13.94 ៛56.3K

41.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿114

$2.62 ៛10.6K

32.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ฿364

$9.50 ៛38.4K

16.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 ฿95.5

$4.29 ៛17.3K

-32.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ฿54.6

$1.26 ៛5,094

31.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿74.5

$3.79 ៛15.3K

-40.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ฿68.8

$1.10 ៛4,428

90.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.24

$1.32 ៛5,331

11.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 ฿46.29

$0.98 ៛3,973

43.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ฿35.78

$1.35 ៛5,442

-19.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ฿17.58

$0.81 ៛3,278

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 ฿147

$1.48 ៛5,969

202.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ฿614

$7.26 ៛29.3K

157.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿60.4

$1.03 ៛4,155

78.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ฿96.7

$2.32 ៛9,361

27.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.07 ฿757

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 ฿99.9

$2.05 ៛8,267

48.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 ฿35.82

$0.98 ៛3,973

11.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 ฿125

$4.99 ៛20.2K

-23.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿48.79

$1.31 ៛5,280

13.74%

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

$27.4K ฿900.3K

$24.6K ៛99.6M

11.35%

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

$27.5K ฿902.7K

$22.3K ៛90.0M

23.49%

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

$102 ฿3,340

$107 ៛431.6K

-4.71%

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

$11.28 ฿370

$5.98 ៛24.2K

88.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.75 ฿582

$14.42 ៛58.3K

23.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.2 ฿1,777

$9.85 ៛39.8K

449.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.96 ฿360

Cinema Ticket

$7.85 ฿258

$5.09 ៛20.6K

54.22%

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

$577 ฿18.9K

$280 ៛1.1M

105.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿381.6K

$4,353 ៛17.6M

167.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.4 ฿2,144

$26.16 ៛105.7K

149.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.89 ฿948

$13.11 ៛52.9K

120.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 ฿3,250

$69.2 ៛279.7K

43.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.3 ฿2,961

$44.88 ៛181.3K

101.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ฿24.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 ฿16.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,085 ฿68.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 ฿39.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,591 ฿117.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,610 ฿85.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.2

-39.46%

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

Last update for Phuket: August 18, 2026

Last update for Kampong Cham: August 16, 2026

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $35.00 in Phuket vs $20.00 in Kampong Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $228 per month, with Kampong Cham cheaper across the board.

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 Kampong Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Kampong Cham differ by about 146% in total monthly costs ($1,261 vs $513 including rent). Kampong Cham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,891 in Phuket and $770 in Kampong Cham 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,261 per month in Phuket versus $513 in Kampong Cham – a 146% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $513 in Kampong Cham versus $1,261 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kampong Cham but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kampong Cham 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 Kampong Cham 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 Kampong Cham gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.