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: $1,232 in Phuket versus $592 in Kampong Cham.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $945 in Kampong Cham.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,298 in Kampong Cham.

Living in Phuket is roughly 108% more expensive than Kampong Cham, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Kampong Cham 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$2.44 ៛9,793

89.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$24.20 ៛97.2K

93.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$8.03 ៛32.2K

10.09%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$1.60 ៛6,415

87.50%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.69 ៛2,772

7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.47 ៛1,872

-21.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$0.99 ៛3,973

146.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$1.91 ៛7,663

89.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.75 ៛7,024

29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.39 ៛5,565

32.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.78 ៛3,114

187.18%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.62 ៛6,515

43.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$14.43 ៛58.0K

36.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$3.50 ៛14.1K

4.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$8.82 ៛35.4K

48.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.05 ៛8,222

65.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$0.76 ៛3,070

115.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$3.02 ៛12.1K

-20.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.02 ៛4,086

99.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$1.22 ៛4,881

27.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$0.97 ៛3,914

54.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$1.37 ៛5,494

-25.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.58 ៛2,332

-15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$1.27 ៛5,110

250.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$7.51 ៛30.2K

151.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.58 ៛2,314

206.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.06 ៛8,261

33.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.76 ៛3,062

31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$4.89 ៛19.7K

188.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.11 ៛4,466

21.62%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$34.6K ៛139.1M

-21.53%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$39.4K ៛158.3M

-16.46%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$73.3 ៛294.5K

70.48%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$5.94 ៛23.9K

128.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$19.62 ៛78.8K

-5.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$10.13 ៛40.7K

506.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$6.48 ៛26.0K

41.82%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$407 ៛1.6M

71.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$2,501 ៛10.0M

523.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$10.04 ៛40.3K

475.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$18.34 ៛73.7K

92.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$55.2 ៛221.7K

104.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$36.46 ៛146.5K

136.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$403 ៛1.6M

52.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$123 ៛493.0K

263.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$560 ៛2.3M

265.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$301 ៛1.2M

395.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

-70.39%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Kampong Cham: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $403 in Kampong Cham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $24.00 in Kampong Cham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $200 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 108% in total monthly costs ($1,232 vs $592 including rent). Kampong Cham is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $888 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $616 in Phuket versus $403 in Kampong Cham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,232 per month in Phuket versus $592 in Kampong Cham – a 108% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $592 in Kampong Cham versus $1,232 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 108% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.