Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Koh Phi Phi

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $2,062 in Koh Phi Phi, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Koh Phi Phi
🇹🇭 Thailand
$2,062
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $2,062 in Koh Phi Phi, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Koh Phi Phi $2,062

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $3,686 in Koh Phi Phi, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Koh Phi Phi $3,686

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $5,310 in Koh Phi Phi, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Koh Phi Phi $5,310

Phuket is about 37% cheaper than Koh Phi Phi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Koh Phi Phi is 53% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Koh Phi Phi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿148
$6.56 ฿221
-33.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,086
$48.53 ฿1,632
-33.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿293
$13.05 ฿439
-33.33%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.6
$4.24 ฿143
-35.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.28
$1.42 ฿47.62
-34.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.79
$0.76 ฿25.57
-34.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.1
$3.67 ฿124
-31.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$5.70 ฿192
-36.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Koh Phi Phi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.5
$2.05 ฿68.9
-15.12%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.77
$1.74 ฿58.4
-16.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.90 ฿64.0
-21.05%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.0
$2.53 ฿85.2
-14.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿642
$23.28 ฿783
-18.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$3.95 ฿133
-13.92%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿366
$13.40 ฿451
-18.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.9
$3.53 ฿119
-16.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$1.95 ฿65.4
-13.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.8
$2.68 ฿90.0
-18.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.4
$2.48 ฿83.3
-14.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿49.03
$1.79 ฿60.3
-18.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.99
$1.64 ฿55.2
-16.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.17
$1.35 ฿45.35
-20.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.34
$0.63 ฿21.06
-12.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$5.12 ฿172
-13.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿614
$22.54 ฿758
-19.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.6
$2.21 ฿74.4
-19.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.8
$3.41 ฿115
-15.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Koh Phi Phi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.66
$2.03 ฿68.1
-28.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,845
$78.5 ฿2,640
-30.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$2.06 ฿69.2
-26.70%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.08
$1.06 ฿35.68
-26.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$5.33 ฿179
-27.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿50.0
$2.06 ฿69.4
-27.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿903.7K
$37.4K ฿1.3M
-28.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿885.7K
$36.7K ฿1.2M
-28.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Koh Phi Phi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,288
$107 ฿3,608
-8.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿380
$12.35 ฿415
-8.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿578
$18.80 ฿632
-8.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Koh Phi Phi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,297
$79.2 ฿2,663
-13.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿367
$13.05 ฿439
-16.32%
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$9.00 ฿303
-17.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Koh Phi Phi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.8K
$629 ฿21.2K
-15.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿631.4K
$22.7K ฿762.0K
-17.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Koh Phi Phi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,073
$65.2 ฿2,193
-5.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿950
$30.28 ฿1,018
-6.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,228
$100 ฿3,369
-4.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,919
$91.1 ฿3,061
-4.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Koh Phi Phi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.2K
$1,576 ฿53.0K
-54.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.1K
$1,100 ฿37.0K
-53.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.6K
$4,325 ฿145.4K
-54.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿47.0K
$3,154 ฿106.0K
-55.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿140.9K
$9,241 ฿310.7K
-54.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.9K
$7,228 ฿243.0K
-54.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Koh Phi Phi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
5.57
-

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Koh Phi Phi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Koh Phi Phi
$1.1K 116% $591
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Koh Phi Phi
$322 20.8% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Koh Phi Phi
$138 9.6% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Koh Phi Phi
$129 5.1% $6.3
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Koh Phi Phi
$181 51.4% $61
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Koh Phi Phi
$97 16.9% $14
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Koh Phi Phi
$94 42.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $1,576 in Koh Phi Phi. 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 $49 in Koh Phi Phi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $322 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇹🇭 Koh Phi Phi
🕒 Local time
20:44 8:44 PM
20:44 8:44 PM
Same time as Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
2,500
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Koh Phi Phi 46 km
From you
  • Phuket
  • Koh Phi Phi

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 Phi Phi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phuket and in Koh Phi Phi compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,294 in Phuket, $2,062 in Koh Phi Phi – Phuket comes out roughly 37% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Koh Phi Phi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $3,093 in Koh Phi Phi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Phuket and Koh Phi Phi?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $1,576 in Koh Phi Phi.
How do commuting costs compare in Phuket and in Koh Phi Phi?
Public transport costs about 30% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Phuket and Koh Phi Phi?
Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $629 in Koh Phi Phi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in Koh Phi Phi at $2,062. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Koh Phi Phi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Phuket or Koh Phi Phi?
Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Phuket or Koh Phi Phi safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Where should expats move: Phuket or Koh Phi Phi?
For expats, Phuket is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 37% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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