Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nakhon Ratchasima

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima: $776 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Ratchasima
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Nakhon Ratchasima Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Thailand

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nakhon Ratchasima

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $776 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Phuket $1,278
Nakhon Ratchasima $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,277 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Phuket $2,216
Nakhon Ratchasima $1,277

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,778 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Phuket $3,154
Nakhon Ratchasima $1,778

Living in Phuket is roughly 65% more expensive than in Nakhon Ratchasima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Nakhon Ratchasima 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.93 ฿99.1

52.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$25.99 ฿878

24.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.20 ฿209

42.10%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.97 ฿66.6

43.65%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.52 ฿17.70

67.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.31 ฿10.50

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.73 ฿58.5

47.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.69 ฿90.9

36.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.59 ฿53.8

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.26 ฿42.49

15.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.22 ฿41.24

22.95%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.44 ฿48.70

45.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$15.42 ฿521

23.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.65 ฿89.6

24.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.93 ฿335

9.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.12 ฿105

-6.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.21 ฿40.93

39.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.92 ฿65.0

17.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.87 ฿63.2

11.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.24 ฿41.89

21.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.02 ฿34.45

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.22 ฿41.31

-12.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.38 ฿12.71

36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.79 ฿94.3

50.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.54 ฿592

7.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.67 ฿56.3

8.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.90 ฿98.0

-2.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.46 ฿15.58

215.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$19.30 ฿652

193.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.05 ฿35.54

187.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.12 ฿37.94

-8.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.34 ฿248

-49.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.40 ฿47.18

5.00%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$44.6K ฿1.5M

-40.03%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.7K ฿901.2K

0.01%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$87.2 ฿2,943

10.54%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.55 ฿390

-2.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$19.04 ฿643

-11.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$46.52 ฿1,571

44.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.78 ฿499

-27.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.72 ฿159

58.90%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$178 ฿6,008

167.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$14.4K ฿488.0K

-22.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$51.3 ฿1,732

21.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$28.82 ฿973

-1.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$76.4 ฿2,581

23.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$67.6 ฿2,284

26.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$222 ฿7,480

223.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$158 ฿5,340

210.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$481 ฿16.2K

300.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$429 ฿14.5K

233.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,407 ฿115.1K

22.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,712 ฿57.8K

77.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$602 ฿20.3K

-16.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.1

9.22%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nakhon Ratchasima: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$158 20.4% 67.8% $333

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$233 30% 12.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$118 15.2% 5.4% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$101 13% 17.2% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$83 10.7% 31.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$56 7.2% 32% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$28 3.6% 60.6% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $222 in Nakhon Ratchasima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nakhon Ratchasima pays 20% 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 $26 in Nakhon Ratchasima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $233 per month, with Nakhon Ratchasima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Nakhon Ratchasima

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

126,391

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Nakhon Ratchasima 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nakhon Ratchasima

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 Nakhon Ratchasima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $776 in Nakhon Ratchasima, so Nakhon Ratchasima is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 17% 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 $222 in Nakhon Ratchasima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima – a meal for two runs $26 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $776 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Nakhon Ratchasima but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Nakhon Ratchasima 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 Nakhon Ratchasima are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Nakhon Ratchasima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.