Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Old Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Old Harbour: $1,005 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
Learn more

Old Harbour Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Old Harbour

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,005 in Old Harbour.

Phuket $1,278
Old Harbour $1,005

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,664 in Old Harbour.

Phuket $2,216
Old Harbour $1,664

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,322 in Old Harbour.

Phuket $3,154
Old Harbour $2,322

Living in Phuket is roughly 27% more expensive than in Old Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Old Harbour 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.35 JMD 2,109

-66.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$75.0 JMD 11.9K

-56.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.40 JMD 1,326

4.88%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.23 JMD 826

-45.89%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.14 JMD 180

-23.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.73 JMD 115

-32.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.19 JMD 345

16.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.22 JMD 509

14.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$4.24 JMD 670

-60.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$3.83 JMD 605

-61.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.56 JMD 246

-3.85%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.47 JMD 549

-39.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$11.44 JMD 1,807

66.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.34 JMD 1,002

-47.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.13 JMD 1,601

7.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$6.06 JMD 958

-51.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$4.00 JMD 632

-57.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$7.38 JMD 1,165

-69.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.01 JMD 475

-30.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.23 JMD 510

-53.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$2.60 JMD 411

-46.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$3.02 JMD 478

-64.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$1.50 JMD 236

-65.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$9.31 JMD 1,470

-54.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.26 JMD 1,779

66.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.85 JMD 450

-36.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.93 JMD 621

-27.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.28 JMD 202

135.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$3.23 JMD 510

-68.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$6.45 JMD 1,020

-42.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.46 JMD 231

0.68%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

-39.02%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$32.4K JMD 5.1M

-17.52%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$165 JMD 26.1K

-41.65%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$29.91 JMD 4,725

-62.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$53.8 JMD 8,501

-68.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.48 JMD 2,130

-44.36%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$358 JMD 56.6K

32.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$8,285 JMD 1.3M

35.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$23.81 JMD 3,762

161.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$31.92 JMD 5,044

-11.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$78.5 JMD 12.4K

20.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$102 JMD 16.1K

-15.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Old Harbour: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Old Harbour

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Old Harbour

$386 38.4% 44.8% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Old Harbour

$249 24.8% 99.9% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Old Harbour

$106 10.6% 12.8% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Old Harbour

$220 21.9% 80.4% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Old Harbour

$27 * 2.7% 67.2% $55

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7% 75.3% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $75 in Old Harbour for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $386 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

07:12 7:12 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

26,024

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Old Harbour 17,100 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Old Harbour

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 Old Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,005 in Old Harbour, so Old Harbour is about 21% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,507 in Old Harbour to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $358 in Old Harbour. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $75 in Old Harbour. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Old Harbour 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.