Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Maasin City Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Maasin City

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $743 in Maasin City.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Phuket versus $1,135 in Maasin City.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Phuket versus $1,527 in Maasin City.

Living in Phuket is roughly 66% more expensive than in Maasin City, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 10% lower, Maasin City 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$3.03 ₱190

45.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,074

$23.37 ₱1,468

38.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿297

$4.00 ₱251

123.25%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.4

$2.57 ₱161

12.84%

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

$0.88 ฿29.30

$0.59 ₱36.98

49.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.01

$0.50 ₱31.16

-4.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.3

$1.72 ₱108

36.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$2.20 ₱138

69.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.1

$1.99 ₱125

-6.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.81

$1.10 ₱69.3

33.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.7

$0.91 ₱57.0

70.33%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.0

$1.95 ₱123

7.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿652

$9.99 ₱628

96.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$4.43 ₱278

-22.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿379

$7.48 ₱470

52.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.3

$1.62 ₱102

83.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.62 ₱38.96

170.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.5

$1.60 ₱101

38.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.0

$1.54 ₱96.6

40.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.8

$2.37 ₱149

-35.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.55

$1.94 ₱122

-30.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.57

$1.23 ₱77.3

-8.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.19

$0.64 ₱40.19

-14.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.91 ₱183

46.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿635

$6.08 ₱382

213.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.2

$1.27 ₱80.0

40.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.6

$1.74 ₱109

59.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.2

$0.29 ₱17.92

668.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿757

$12.01 ₱754

89.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$0.78 ₱48.93

288.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.06

$0.22 ₱13.84

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$1.95 ₱122

99.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.63

$1.26 ₱79.0

18.25%

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

$26.6K ฿884.9K

$21.5K ₱1.4M

23.35%

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

$27.0K ฿899.8K

$19.3K ₱1.2M

40.20%

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

$102 ฿3,411

$122 ₱7,694

-16.33%

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

$11.33 ฿377

$14.86 ₱934

-23.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿579

$27.25 ₱1,712

-36.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,734

$28.89 ₱1,815

80.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿369

$4.12 ₱259

168.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿256

$5.65 ₱355

36.11%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$131 ₱8,218

328.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.0K

$8,110 ₱509.5K

41.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,098

$31.56 ₱1,983

99.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿983

$19.48 ₱1,224

51.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,263

$75.8 ₱4,765

29.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,946

$54.8 ₱3,440

61.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.6K

$269 ₱16.9K

174.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.1K

$165 ₱10.4K

191.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.1K

$529 ₱33.2K

298.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.8K

$312 ₱19.6K

292.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.4K

$2,421 ₱152.1K

49.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.7K

$1,037 ₱65.1K

151.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.4K

$128 ₱8,056

284.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Last update for Maasin City: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $738 in Phuket and $269 in Maasin City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 285% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $23.00 in Maasin City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $188 per month, with Maasin City cheaper across the board.

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 Maasin City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maasin City is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 66% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 285% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $738 in Phuket versus $269 in Maasin City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Maasin City – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $743 in Maasin City versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maasin City but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Maasin City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Maasin City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Maasin City are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Maasin City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.