Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Koh Chang

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Chang: $1,021 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Koh Chang

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,021 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Koh Chang $1,021

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,720 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Koh Chang $1,720

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,418 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Koh Chang $2,418

Phuket costs about 25% more than Koh Chang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Koh Chang are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Koh Chang 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.47 ฿117

28.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$26.30 ฿888

23.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.04 ฿238

25.14%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.18 ฿73.5

29.82%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.75 ฿25.33

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.37 ฿12.35

32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.00 ฿67.7

28.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.00 ฿101

22.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.48 ฿50.0

12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.25 ฿42.31

16.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.37 ฿46.39

9.49%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.89 ฿63.7

10.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$17.29 ฿584

10.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.05 ฿103

8.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.19 ฿344

7.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.68 ฿90.6

9.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.53 ฿51.7

10.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.95 ฿65.9

15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.85 ฿62.4

12.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.29 ฿43.65

17.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.24 ฿41.72

11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.01 ฿34.04

5.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.49 ฿16.67

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.77 ฿127

11.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$16.75 ฿565

12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.56 ฿52.7

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.46 ฿83.0

15.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.21 ฿40.91

19.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$38.34 ฿1,294

47.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.43 ฿81.9

24.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.85 ฿28.77

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.93 ฿98.9

25.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.14 ฿38.48

28.95%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.7K ฿733.1K

23.28%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$20.9K ฿707.0K

27.41%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$94.6 ฿3,191

1.89%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.67 ฿360

5.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$16.02 ฿541

5.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$58.0 ฿1,957

15.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$9.00 ฿304

19.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.49 ฿219

15.56%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$422 ฿14.3K

12.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$10.2K ฿343.5K

10.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$60.3 ฿2,036

3.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$26.66 ฿900

6.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$89.3 ฿3,015

5.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$81.5 ฿2,751

5.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$469 ฿15.8K

52.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$327 ฿11.0K

50.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,292 ฿43.6K

49.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$917 ฿31.0K

55.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,704 ฿91.2K

54.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,904 ฿64.3K

59.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Koh Chang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Koh Chang

$327 32% 33.4% $164

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Koh Chang

$240 23.5% 9.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Koh Chang

$121 11.9% 2.6% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Koh Chang

$116 11.4% 4.8% $5.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Koh Chang

$95 9.4% 21.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Koh Chang

$71 7% 13.7% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Koh Chang

$50 4.9% 29.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $469 in Koh Chang. 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 $26 in Koh Chang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $240 – making Koh Chang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Koh Chang 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Koh Chang

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 Koh Chang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,021 in Koh Chang – Koh Chang comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,531 in Koh Chang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koh Chang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $26 in Koh Chang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,021 in Koh Chang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Koh Chang – 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, Koh Chang is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 20% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.