Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Krabi

For one person, living is cheaper in Krabi: $1,006 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Krabi
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Krabi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Krabi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Krabi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,006 in Krabi.

Phuket $1,278
Krabi $1,006

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,391 in Krabi.

Phuket $2,216
Krabi $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,775 in Krabi.

Phuket $3,154
Krabi $1,775

Living in Phuket is roughly 27% more expensive than in Krabi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.94 ฿99.4

52.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$18.85 ฿637

71.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.48 ฿286

3.89%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.75 ฿59.2

61.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.05 ฿35.46

-17.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.43 ฿14.56

13.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.79 ฿60.5

43.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.32 ฿78.5

58.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.25 ฿76.0

-26.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.50 ฿50.6

-2.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.07 ฿69.9

-27.54%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.88 ฿63.6

11.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$16.05 ฿542

18.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.76 ฿93.2

19.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.80 ฿264

39.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.37 ฿80.2

23.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.03 ฿34.91

64.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.21 ฿74.7

1.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.44 ฿48.56

44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.39 ฿46.97

8.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.29 ฿43.51

6.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.47 ฿49.51

-27.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.51 ฿17.35

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.53 ฿153

-7.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.43 ฿352

80.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.74 ฿58.9

4.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.46 ฿83.1

15.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.93 ฿31.28

55.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.34 ฿79.1

29.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.78 ฿60.2

-42.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.06 ฿205

-39.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.37 ฿46.34

7.30%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$21.7K ฿733.6K

23.26%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$24.4K ฿825.4K

9.21%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$69.1 ฿2,333

39.46%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.47 ฿387

-1.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$24.42 ฿825

-31.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$61.9 ฿2,090

8.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$9.09 ฿307

18.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.33 ฿248

2.32%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,136 ฿274.7K

38.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$14.70 ฿496

324.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$15.01 ฿507

89.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$74.3 ฿2,509

26.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$74.5 ฿2,515

15.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$339 ฿11.5K

111.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$414 ฿14.0K

18.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$700 ฿23.6K

175.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$509 ฿17.2K

181.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,186 ฿40.1K

252.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,017 ฿34.4K

199.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$708 ฿23.9K

-29.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.4

-24.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Krabi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Krabi

$414 41.1% 15.7% $77

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Krabi

$226 22.5% 15.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Krabi

$105 10.4% 15.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Krabi

$80 8% 34.1% $42

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Krabi

$90 8.9% 26.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Krabi

$77 7.6% 6.9% $5.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Krabi

$15 * 1.5% 78.8% $56

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 $716 in Phuket and $339 in Krabi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krabi pays 41% 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 $19 in Krabi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $226 per month, with Krabi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Krabi

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

50,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Krabi 61 km

From you

Phuket
Krabi

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 Krabi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,006 in Krabi, so Krabi is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 29% 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 $339 in Krabi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Krabi – a meal for two runs $19 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,006 in Krabi – Krabi is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Krabi 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 Krabi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.