Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Maha Sarakham

For one person, living is cheaper in Maha Sarakham: $925 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Maha Sarakham
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Maha Sarakham Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Maha Sarakham

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Maha Sarakham

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $925 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Maha Sarakham $925

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,487 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Maha Sarakham $1,487

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,049 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Maha Sarakham $2,049

Phuket costs about 38% more than Maha Sarakham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Maha Sarakham are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Maha Sarakham 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.06 ฿103

46.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$24.12 ฿815

34.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.57 ฿256

16.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.93 ฿65.3

46.63%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.66 ฿22.18

31.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.33 ฿11.03

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.11 ฿71.4

21.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.96 ฿100

24.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.78 ฿60.0

-6.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.47 ฿49.70

-0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.37 ฿46.27

9.49%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.99 ฿67.0

5.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$16.71 ฿564

14.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.69 ฿90.7

22.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.30 ฿348

5.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.91 ฿98.2

0.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.06 ฿35.81

59.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.15 ฿72.6

4.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.89 ฿63.7

10.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.52 ฿51.4

-0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.06 ฿35.79

30.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.08 ฿36.38

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.53 ฿18.06

-1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.36 ฿147

-3.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.70 ฿598

6.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.71 ฿57.9

6.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.89 ฿97.5

-1.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.92 ฿31.12

57.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.16 ฿39.25

160.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.12 ฿37.90

-8.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.06 ฿205

-39.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.34 ฿45.41

9.70%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$26.4K ฿892.2K

1.35%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.8K ฿905.1K

-0.41%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$82.2 ฿2,777

17.17%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.66 ฿394

-3.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$18.97 ฿641

-11.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$47.45 ฿1,602

41.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.36 ฿451

-19.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.58 ฿222

13.98%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$581 ฿19.6K

-18.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.9K ฿368.8K

3.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$50.4 ฿1,700

23.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$29.75 ฿1,005

-4.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$77.1 ฿2,605

22.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$76.1 ฿2,571

12.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$439 ฿14.8K

63.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$298 ฿10.1K

64.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,135 ฿38.3K

69.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$686 ฿23.2K

108.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,968 ฿66.5K

112.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,481 ฿50.0K

105.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

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 Maha Sarakham: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Maha Sarakham

$298 32.3% 39.2% $192

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Maha Sarakham

$246 26.7% 7.4% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Maha Sarakham

$113 12.2% 9.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Maha Sarakham

$105 11.4% 13.8% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Maha Sarakham

$91 9.8% 25.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Maha Sarakham

$61 6.6% 26.3% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Maha Sarakham

$10 * 1.1% 85.2% $60

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $439 in Maha Sarakham. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $24 in Maha Sarakham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $246 – making Maha Sarakham the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

46,523

💱 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 Maha Sarakham 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Maha Sarakham

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 Maha Sarakham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $925 in Maha Sarakham – Maha Sarakham comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,387 in Maha Sarakham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maha Sarakham, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $439 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $24 in Maha Sarakham. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Maha Sarakham, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Maha Sarakham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $925 in Maha Sarakham to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.