Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kone

For one person, living is cheaper in Kone: $450 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kone

🇳🇨 New Caledonia

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kone

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $450 in Kone.

Phuket $1,278
Kone $450

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $673 in Kone.

Phuket $2,216
Kone $673

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $897 in Kone.

Phuket $3,154
Kone $897

Living in Phuket is roughly 184% more expensive than in Kone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Kone 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$52.3 CFPF 5,556

-37.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.49 CFPF 158

-65.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$17.16 CFPF 1,824

-75.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.79 CFPF 1,573

27.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$169 CFPF 18.0K

-43.02%

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

$11.26 ฿380

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$95.3 CFPF 10.1K

-82.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$56.2 CFPF 5,971

19.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$110 CFPF 11.7K

-43.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$71.2 CFPF 7,568

32.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$562 CFPF 59.8K

27.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,499 CFPF 159.3K

28.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,902 CFPF 308.5K

-82.69%

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 Kone: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kone

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kone

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kone

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kone

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kone

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kone

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kone

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $562 in Kone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kone pays about 5.8 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $52 in Kone. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $47, with Kone cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇨 Kone

🕒 Local time

11:30 11:30 AM

15:30 3:30 PM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.41 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.41 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.43 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kone 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kone

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 Kone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kone wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kone the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $562 in Kone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $450 in Kone – Kone is about 65% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 461% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $450 in Kone versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Kone but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Kone 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 Kone are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.