Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nuku'alofa

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuku’alofa: $1,021 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Nuku'alofa
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Nuku'alofa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Nuku'alofa

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nuku'alofa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,021 in Nuku’alofa.

Phuket $1,278
Nuku'alofa $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,865 in Nuku’alofa.

Phuket $2,216
Nuku'alofa $1,865

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,710 in Nuku’alofa.

Phuket $3,154
Nuku'alofa $2,710

Living in Phuket is roughly 25% more expensive than in Nuku’alofa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Nuku’alofa 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.30 TOP 19.64

-46.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$62.1 TOP 147

-47.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.43 TOP 24.68

-15.53%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.84 TOP 6.72

-0.35%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.87 TOP 6.79

-69.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.45 TOP 5.80

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.40 TOP 8.05

-24.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.89 TOP 11.57

-24.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.54 TOP 3.64

7.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.01 TOP 2.39

44.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.12 TOP 5.01

-29.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.03 TOP 11.91

-58.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.80 TOP 20.84

116.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.95 TOP 14.08

-44.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$7.76 TOP 18.36

40.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.80 TOP 6.62

4.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.69 TOP 6.38

-37.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.86 TOP 6.78

-21.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.84 TOP 9.09

-45.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.22 TOP 7.61

-53.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.56 TOP 6.06

-46.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.20 TOP 5.21

-51.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.34 TOP 3.18

-61.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.99 TOP 23.64

-57.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.00 TOP 40.23

10.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.23 TOP 7.66

-43.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.31 TOP 7.83

-14.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.11 TOP 4.98

-31.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$41.11 TOP 97.3

37.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.10 TOP 4.98

43.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.06 TOP 4.88

-50.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$41.98 TOP 99.4

-91.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.48 TOP 3.51

-0.68%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$5,770 TOP 13.7K

364.08%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$8,255 TOP 19.5K

223.31%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$188 TOP 445

-48.78%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.11 TOP 52.3

-49.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$126 TOP 298

-86.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.77 TOP 75.2

111.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$41.37 TOP 97.9

-74.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$41.62 TOP 98.5

-81.98%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$155 TOP 368

206.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$252 TOP 596

4374.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$14.42 TOP 34.13

332.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$17.89 TOP 42.33

58.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$20.97 TOP 49.63

349.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$29.14 TOP 69.0

194.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$619 TOP 1,466

15.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$814 TOP 1,927

136.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$557 TOP 1,318

156.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$417 TOP 987

901.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$251 TOP 594

1112.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$692 TOP 1,639

-27.46%

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 Nuku'alofa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Nuku'alofa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Nuku'alofa

$291 28.5% 9.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Nuku'alofa

$336 32.9% 170% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nuku'alofa

$37 3.6% 69.6% $85

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Nuku'alofa

$180 17.6% 47.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Nuku'alofa

$115 11.3% 39.9% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Nuku'alofa

$62 6.1% 12.2% $8.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $619 in Nuku’alofa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nuku’alofa pays 38% 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 $62 in Nuku’alofa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $291 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇴 Nuku'alofa

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

19:28 7:28 PM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

24,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 TOP = 0.423 USD

1 TOP = 0.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2.37 TOP (1 TOP = 0.423 USD). 1 EUR = 2.63 TOP (1 TOP = 0.38 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Nuku'alofa 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nuku'alofa

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 Nuku'alofa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,021 in Nuku’alofa, so Nuku’alofa is about 20% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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 $619 in Nuku’alofa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $62 in Nuku’alofa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,021 in Nuku’alofa – Nuku’alofa is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Nuku’alofa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Nuku’alofa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.