Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nam Dinh

For one person, living is cheaper in Nam Dinh: $799 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Nam Dinh, Vietnam
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Nam Dinh
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$799
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nam Dinh

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $799 in Nam Dinh, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Nam Dinh $799

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,286 in Nam Dinh, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Nam Dinh $1,286

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,772 in Nam Dinh, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Nam Dinh $1,772

Phuket costs about 60% more than Nam Dinh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Nam Dinh are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Nam Dinh 41% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Nam Dinh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$2.06 ₫53.3K
116.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,092
$22.94 ₫593.1K
41.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$4.36 ₫112.7K
102.06%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.3
$1.94 ₫50.2K
45.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.37
$0.48 ₫12.4K
81.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.64
$0.31 ₫7,905
58.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.2
$1.11 ₫28.6K
130.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$1.94 ₫50.3K
89.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Nam Dinh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.52 ₫39.3K
9.21%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.25
$1.11 ₫28.6K
31.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$0.75 ₫19.5K
100.00%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.4
$1.51 ₫39.1K
38.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿642
$12.15 ₫314.2K
56.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$3.79 ₫98.0K
-12.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$9.74 ₫251.8K
12.01%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.7
$3.35 ₫86.6K
-12.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$1.08 ₫27.9K
56.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$1.38 ₫35.6K
63.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$1.15 ₫29.8K
80.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$0.94 ₫24.4K
60.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.47
$1.09 ₫28.2K
26.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.91
$0.58 ₫15.1K
84.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.49
$0.52 ₫13.5K
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$1.38 ₫35.7K
204.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿633
$12.43 ₫321.2K
51.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$0.90 ₫23.4K
102.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.7
$1.67 ₫43.3K
70.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Nam Dinh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$0.32 ₫8,170
353.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,909
$6.63 ₫171.4K
754.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$0.79 ₫20.4K
282.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.29
$0.56 ₫14.6K
82.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
$2.35 ₫60.8K
57.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.70
$0.97 ₫24.9K
51.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿902.4K
$30.8K ₫796.8M
-13.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿899.5K
$28.7K ₫742.8M
-7.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Nam Dinh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,247
$85.6 ₫2.2M
12.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$5.30 ₫137.1K
112.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$8.61 ₫222.5K
95.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Nam Dinh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,266
$23.61 ₫610.4K
184.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿361
$7.83 ₫202.5K
37.04%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$4.74 ₫122.5K
58.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Nam Dinh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.0K
$186 ₫4.8M
156.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.6K
$13.8K ₫357.6M
-18.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Nam Dinh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,102
$48.02 ₫1.2M
29.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿957
$26.14 ₫675.9K
8.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,178
$84.7 ₫2.2M
11.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,892
$78.3 ₫2.0M
9.58%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Nam Dinh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$404 ₫10.5M
77.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.5K
$282 ₫7.3M
73.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿64.9K
$816 ₫21.1M
136.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.2K
$629 ₫16.3M
127.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.7K
$2,265 ₫58.5M
84.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.6K
$1,197 ₫30.9M
154.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Nam Dinh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
8.28
-32.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nam Dinh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Nam Dinh
$282 42.5% $209
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Nam Dinh
$201 24.6% $65
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Nam Dinh
$100 20% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Nam Dinh
$107 12.4% $15
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Nam Dinh
$65 46.2% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Nam Dinh
$33 59.8% $49
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Nam Dinh
$12 83.7% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $404 in Nam Dinh. 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 $23 in Nam Dinh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $201 – making Nam Dinh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇻🇳 Nam Dinh
🕒 Local time
10:08 10:08 AM
10:08 10:08 AM
Same time as Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
179,229
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,779 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Nam Dinh 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Nam Dinh

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 Nam Dinh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Nam Dinh cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,199 in Nam Dinh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nam Dinh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $404 there versus $716 in Phuket.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Nam Dinh?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $799 in Nam Dinh. That makes Nam Dinh about 37% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 88% less in Nam Dinh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Nam Dinh?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nam Dinh, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Nam Dinh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Phuket or Nam Dinh more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Nam Dinh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Nam Dinh?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Nam Dinh is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 37% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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