Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Koh Phangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Phangan: $1,024 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan.

Phuket $1,208
Koh Phangan $1,024

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,693 in Koh Phangan.

Phuket $2,027
Koh Phangan $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,361 in Koh Phangan.

Phuket $2,845
Koh Phangan $2,361

Living in Phuket is roughly 18% more expensive than in Koh Phangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Koh Phangan 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.97 ฿133

10.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$29.08 ฿972

10.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.90 ฿264

10.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.53 ฿84.5

11.86%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.87 ฿28.98

3.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.42 ฿13.98

11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.21 ฿73.9

15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.45 ฿115

11.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.58 ฿52.9

9.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.39 ฿46.52

5.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.50 ฿50.0

0.67%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.05 ฿68.5

5.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$18.33 ฿613

7.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.31 ฿111

0.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.35 ฿346

7.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.81 ฿93.9

1.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.66 ฿55.3

2.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.11 ฿70.4

3.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.05 ฿68.5

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.46 ฿48.81

-0.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.32 ฿44.04

4.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.06 ฿35.46

0.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.52 ฿17.45

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.20 ฿140

1.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$17.36 ฿580

7.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.76 ฿58.7

1.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.67 ฿89.4

6.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$2.06 ฿68.9

9.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$2.64 ฿88.3

14.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.92 ฿30.81

15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$3.47 ฿116

11.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.32 ฿44.17

9.85%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$23.8K ฿796.2K

10.51%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$24.5K ฿818.5K

10.01%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$98.4 ฿3,287

-2.02%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$11.11 ฿371

-0.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$16.91 ฿565

1.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$52.8 ฿1,764

-1.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.82 ฿362

3.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$7.69 ฿257

1.56%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$560 ฿18.7K

-0.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$11.7K ฿391.0K

-1.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$63.7 ฿2,129

0.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$28.59 ฿955

0.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$95.9 ฿3,205

-0.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$86.9 ฿2,905

1.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$509 ฿17.0K

44.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$326 ฿10.9K

41.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,464 ฿48.9K

43.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$833 ฿27.8K

44.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,509 ฿83.9K

39.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,781 ฿59.5K

41.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$713 ฿23.8K

-29.73%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Koh Phangan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8% 29.5% $136

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Koh Phangan

$256 25% 4.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3% 1.5% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1% 0.4% $0.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6% 10.2% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5% 60.7% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koh Phangan pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $29.00 in Koh Phangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $256 per month, with Koh Phangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Koh Phangan 280 km

From you

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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 Phangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Koh Phangan differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,208 vs $1,024 including rent). Koh Phangan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Koh Phangan. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $509 in Koh Phangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,024 in Koh Phangan versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koh Phangan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Koh Phangan 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 Koh Phangan 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 Koh Phangan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.