Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Koror

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,819 in Koror, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. The total is higher in Koror despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Koror
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Koror Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Koror

🇵🇼 Palau

$1,819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Koror

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,819 in Koror.

Phuket $1,294
Koror $1,819

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,875 in Koror.

Phuket $2,204
Koror $2,875

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,932 in Koror.

Phuket $3,115
Koror $3,932

Living in Phuket costs roughly 29% less than in Koror, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Koror is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$13.69 $13.69

-67.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,078

$76.2 $76.2

-57.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿290

$10.07 $10.07

-13.60%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$4.05 $4.05

-32.84%

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

$0.93 ฿31.06

$1.36 $1.36

-31.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.67

$1.09 $1.09

-54.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.5

$1.46 $1.46

73.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.24 $2.24

62.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.60 $2.60

-33.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$3.38 $3.38

-57.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.1

$0.26 $0.26

476.92%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.5

$6.52 $6.52

-66.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿637

$9.80 $9.80

94.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿113

$13.96 $13.96

-75.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$19.53 $19.53

-44.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.2

$5.20 $5.20

-43.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.5

$2.16 $2.16

-21.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.2

$5.56 $5.56

-60.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿70.9

$16.23 $16.23

-86.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$4.53 $4.53

-67.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.66

$3.39 $3.39

-59.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

$2.02 $2.02

-46.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.21

$1.80 $1.80

-69.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$14.77 $14.77

-70.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿609

$22.95 $22.95

-20.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.2

$3.53 $3.53

-49.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.2

$3.34 $3.34

-13.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

$2.51 $2.51

-39.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$5.84 $5.84

-34.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.65

$1.97 $1.97

-24.37%

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

$26.9K ฿897.3K

$17.3K $17.3K

55.35%

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

$26.3K ฿879.4K

$15.0K $15.0K

75.71%

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

$97.8 ฿3,265

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

$11.29 ฿377

$52.3 $52.3

-78.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿574

$198 $198

-91.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,281

$79.9 $79.9

-14.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$247 $247

114.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿626.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

$85.0 $85.0

-27.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

$65.7 $65.7

-57.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

$193 $193

-50.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

$196 $196

-55.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$724 $724

-0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$526 $526

-3.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.1K

$2,192 $2,192

-11.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.6K

$938 $938

48.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$801 $801

-38.62%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Koror: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Koror

$526 28.9% 3.4% $17

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Koror

$507 27.9% 90.1% $240

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Koror

$250 * 13.8% 98.3% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Koror

$243 13.4% 97.8% $120

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Koror

$210 11.5% 75.6% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Koror

$80 * 4.4% 4% $3.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Koror

$2.5 * 0.1% 96.2% $64

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 $721 in Phuket and $724 in Koror. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Koror pays 63% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $76 in Koror for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $507 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇼 Koror

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

2 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

14,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Koror 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Koror

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 Koror: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,819 in Koror, so Phuket is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $724 in Koror. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Koror. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $1,819 in Koror – Phuket is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,819 in Koror, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Koror. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 Koror are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Koror on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.