Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lautoka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lautoka: $334 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most 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

Lautoka

🇫🇯 Fiji

$334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lautoka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $334 in Lautoka.

Phuket $1,278
Lautoka $334

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $723 in Lautoka.

Phuket $2,216
Lautoka $723

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,113 in Lautoka.

Phuket $3,154
Lautoka $1,113

Living in Phuket is roughly 283% more expensive than in Lautoka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Lautoka 75% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.45 FJD 12.16

-17.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$78.9 FJD 176

-58.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.64 FJD 17.06

15.31%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.54 FJD 5.67

11.42%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.10 FJD 4.68

-58.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.59 FJD 3.54

-69.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.41 FJD 5.38

6.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.20 FJD 7.14

15.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.65 FJD 3.69

0.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.69 FJD 1.53

111.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.88 FJD 1.96

70.45%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.44 FJD 7.68

-39.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$5.72 FJD 12.77

233.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.75 FJD 17.30

-57.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.58 FJD 16.93

43.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.43 FJD 9.89

-33.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.31 FJD 2.93

71.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.85 FJD 1.89

77.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.86 FJD 1.93

60.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.87 FJD 1.95

22.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.42 FJD 0.94

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$11.05 FJD 24.66

-61.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.29 FJD 11.80

255.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.62 FJD 5.85

-30.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.46 FJD 7.72

-17.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.34 FJD 2.98

9.70%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

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

$11.26 ฿380

$13.23 FJD 29.54

-14.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

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 ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$436 FJD 974

64.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$881 FJD 1,967

118.63%

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 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$688 FJD 1,535

-26.98%

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 Lautoka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Lautoka

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Lautoka

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Lautoka

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lautoka

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lautoka

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Lautoka

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Lautoka

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $436 in Lautoka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lautoka pays 37% 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 $79 in Lautoka. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $190, with Lautoka cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇫🇯 Lautoka

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

23:40 11:40 PM

5 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

50,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Fijian Dollar FJD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 FJD = 0.448 USD

1 FJD = 0.401 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

FJD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.23 FJD (1 FJD = 0.448 USD). 1 EUR = 2.49 FJD (1 FJD = 0.401 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Lautoka 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lautoka

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 Lautoka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $334 in Lautoka, so Lautoka is about 74% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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 $436 in Lautoka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $79 in Lautoka. 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 $334 in Lautoka – Lautoka is about 74% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $334 in Lautoka versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lautoka but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Lautoka 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.