Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Koh Lanta

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Lanta: $1,003 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Koh Lanta
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Koh Lanta Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Koh Lanta

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,003 in Koh Lanta.

Phuket $1,278
Koh Lanta $1,003

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,682 in Koh Lanta.

Phuket $2,216
Koh Lanta $1,682

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,360 in Koh Lanta.

Phuket $3,154
Koh Lanta $2,360

Living in Phuket is roughly 27% more expensive than in Koh Lanta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Koh Lanta 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.48 ฿117

28.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$25.75 ฿869

25.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.69 ฿226

31.69%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.18 ฿73.5

29.82%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.72 ฿24.19

20.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.37 ฿12.34

32.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.08 ฿70.2

23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.88 ฿97.3

27.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.55 ฿52.2

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.31 ฿44.20

11.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.41 ฿47.58

6.38%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.96 ฿66.3

6.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$17.05 ฿576

11.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.08 ฿104

7.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.82 ฿331

11.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.54 ฿85.6

15.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.48 ฿49.88

14.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.03 ฿68.4

10.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.90 ฿64.3

9.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.30 ฿43.98

16.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.24 ฿41.96

11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.01 ฿34.18

5.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.47 ฿15.82

10.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.92 ฿132

7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$16.34 ฿552

14.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.63 ฿55.1

11.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.51 ฿84.7

13.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.15 ฿38.66

26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$45.39 ฿1,532

24.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.30 ฿77.6

31.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.85 ฿28.54

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.98 ฿100

23.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.17 ฿39.54

25.64%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$21.5K ฿724.2K

24.80%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$21.0K ฿708.0K

27.23%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$93.7 ฿3,162

2.83%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.61 ฿358

6.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$16.29 ฿550

3.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$57.4 ฿1,935

17.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$9.31 ฿314

15.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.37 ฿215

17.74%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$427 ฿14.4K

11.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$10.2K ฿342.8K

10.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$60.2 ฿2,030

3.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$27.50 ฿928

3.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$89.5 ฿3,020

5.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$84.5 ฿2,852

1.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$439 ฿14.8K

62.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$304 ฿10.3K

61.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,173 ฿39.6K

64.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$851 ฿28.7K

68.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,520 ฿85.1K

65.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,793 ฿60.5K

69.76%

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 Lanta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Koh Lanta

$304 30.4% 38% $186

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Koh Lanta

$239 23.8% 10.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Koh Lanta

$121 12% 3.1% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Koh Lanta

$118 11.7% 3.4% $4.2

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Koh Lanta

$95 9.4% 22.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Koh Lanta

$70 7% 14.8% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Koh Lanta

$57 5.6% 19.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $439 in Koh Lanta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $26 in Koh Lanta for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $239 per month, with Koh Lanta cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Koh Lanta

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

32,000

💱 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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Phuket Koh Lanta 78 km

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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 Koh Lanta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,003 in Koh Lanta, so Koh Lanta is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,505 in Koh Lanta 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: $716 in Phuket versus $439 in Koh Lanta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Koh Lanta – a meal for two runs $26 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Koh Lanta gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Koh Lanta are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Koh Lanta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.