Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nakhon Sawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Sawan: $1,044 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Sawan
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Nakhon Sawan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Nakhon Sawan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,044

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Nakhon Sawan $1,044

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,620 in Nakhon Sawan, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Nakhon Sawan $1,620

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,196 in Nakhon Sawan, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Nakhon Sawan $2,196

Phuket costs about 22% more than Nakhon Sawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Nakhon Sawan are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Nakhon Sawan 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.94 ฿99.3

52.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$35.47 ฿1,197

-8.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.97 ฿201

47.57%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.67 ฿22.49

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.32 ฿10.93

53.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.67 ฿90.2

-4.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.55 ฿154

-19.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.89 ฿63.6

-12.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.48 ฿49.90

-1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.39 ฿46.88

7.91%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.67 ฿56.4

25.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$17.17 ฿579

11.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.50 ฿118

-5.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.82 ฿432

-14.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.83 ฿129

-23.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.71 ฿23.95

138.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.66 ฿89.6

-15.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.91 ฿64.4

8.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.20 ฿40.53

25.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.21 ฿40.93

14.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.82 ฿27.68

30.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.48 ฿16.04

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.73 ฿92.0

53.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.65 ฿494

28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.58 ฿53.4

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.32 ฿112

-14.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.93 ฿31.22

55.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.03 ฿34.65

193.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.15 ฿38.64

-11.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.08 ฿205

-39.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.26 ฿42.37

16.67%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$31.3K ฿1.1M

-14.54%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$27.2K ฿918.9K

-2.00%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$107 ฿3,606

-9.84%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.68 ฿428

-11.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$17.53 ฿591

-3.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$49.36 ฿1,665

36.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.51 ฿456

-20.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.62 ฿257

-1.57%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$794 ฿26.8K

-40.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$16.8K ฿567.1K

-32.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$69.4 ฿2,341

-10.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$42.62 ฿1,438

-33.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$99.7 ฿3,363

-5.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$103 ฿3,481

-16.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$481 ฿16.2K

48.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$332 ฿11.2K

47.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,318 ฿44.5K

46.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$608 ฿20.5K

135.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,147 ฿72.4K

94.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,943 ฿65.5K

56.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$474 ฿16.0K

5.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nakhon Sawan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Nakhon Sawan

$332 31.9% 32.3% $158

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Nakhon Sawan

$256 24.5% 3.9% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Nakhon Sawan

$137 13.1% 10.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nakhon Sawan

$142 13.6% 16.2% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nakhon Sawan

$102 9.8% 16.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Nakhon Sawan

$65 6.2% 21.5% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Nakhon Sawan

$10 * 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 $481 in Nakhon Sawan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $35 in Nakhon Sawan. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $256 in Nakhon Sawan – so Nakhon Sawan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Nakhon Sawan

🕒 Local time

02:19 2:19 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

82,305

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Phuket
Nakhon Sawan

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 Sawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,566 in Nakhon Sawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakhon Sawan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan. That makes Nakhon Sawan about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $794 in Nakhon Sawan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan 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.

If budget matters most, go with Nakhon Sawan. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.