Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kelachay

For one person, living is cheaper in Kelachay: $536 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Kelachay
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Kelachay Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Kelachay

🇮🇷 Iran

$536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kelachay

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $536 in Kelachay, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Kelachay $536

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $847 in Kelachay, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Kelachay $847

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,157 in Kelachay, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Kelachay $1,157

Phuket costs about 141% more than Kelachay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Kelachay are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Kelachay 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$3.03 $3.03

44.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$16.31 $16.31

98.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$4.06 $4.06

114.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.67 $0.67

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$1.08 $1.08

151.85%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$0.51 $0.51

82.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$1.02 $1.02

-50.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.68 $0.68

155.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.49 $0.49

195.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$2.03 $2.03

-26.11%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$1.20 $1.20

80.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$4.48 $4.48

326.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$3.43 $3.43

-0.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$10.41 $10.41

4.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$1.07 $1.07

174.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$1.55 $1.55

9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$0.87 $0.87

151.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$0.61 $0.61

247.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$0.57 $0.57

156.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$0.47 $0.47

191.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$0.53 $0.53

103.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$0.26 $0.26

111.54%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.83 $0.83

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 $1.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$2.44 $2.44

81.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.14 $0.14

935.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

$9.41 $9.41

483.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$0.39 $0.39

287.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

$0.29 $0.29

168.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$2.66 $2.66

44.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$0.09 $0.09

1555.56%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$51.0K $51.0K

-47.26%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$45.7K $45.7K

-42.32%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

$12.96 $12.96

654.71%

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

$11.29 ฿377

$1.60 $1.60

605.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$4.02 $4.02

327.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$18.90 $18.90

261.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

$13.24 $13.24

-17.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$2.02 $2.02

267.82%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$107 $107

395.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

$2,365 $2,365

694.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$22.80 $22.80

170.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$28.23 $28.23

0.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$98.0 $98.0

-2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$71.2 $71.2

21.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$286 $286

151.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$212 $212

139.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$811 $811

140.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$358 $358

289.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

$1,139 $1,139

268.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

$536 $536

515.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

24.3

-77.08%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kelachay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Kelachay

$212 39.6% 58.3% $297

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Kelachay

$116 21.6% 56.7% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Kelachay

$19 3.5% 85.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Kelachay

$99 18.5% 19.2% $24

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Kelachay

$56 10.4% 53.5% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Kelachay

$23 4.3% 72.4% $60

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Kelachay

$12 2.2% 82.2% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $286 in Kelachay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $16 in Kelachay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $116 – making Kelachay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇷 Kelachay

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

03:25 3:25 AM

3 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

12,379

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Kelachay 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Kelachay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 141%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $804 in Kelachay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kelachay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $286 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Kelachay. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $107 in Kelachay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kelachay, where all-in costs run around $536, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Kelachay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kelachay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Kelachay is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 59% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.