Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pai Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pai

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 25.9% more expensive than Pai without rent, and 40% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 34.9% more expensive than Pai without rent, and 68.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Pai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.65 ฿147
$3.17 ฿100
46.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.11 ฿1,460
$24.17 ฿765
90.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.74 ฿277
$7.07 ฿224
23.62%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ฿96.2
$2.02 ฿63.8
50.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ฿22.80
$0.66 ฿20.91
9.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ฿12.38
$0.37 ฿11.86
5.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 ฿77.2
$2.18 ฿69.1
11.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿120
$3.65 ฿116
3.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Pai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ฿67.9
$1.71 ฿54.1
25.15%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 ฿58.9
$1.35 ฿42.81
37.78%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ฿69.2
$1.33 ฿42.02
64.66%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿71.1
$2.13 ฿67.4
5.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.73 ฿625
$17.44 ฿552
13.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.79 ฿120
$3.01 ฿95.3
25.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.55 ฿429
$10.88 ฿344
24.54%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 ฿103
$2.97 ฿94.1
9.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ฿52.9
$1.24 ฿39.10
34.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.39 ฿75.7
$1.88 ฿59.4
27.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.09 ฿66.2
$1.57 ฿49.59
33.12%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿48.39
$1.50 ฿47.37
2.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 ฿47.79
$1.26 ฿39.95
19.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ฿31.30
$0.98 ฿30.92
1.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.30
$0.48 ฿15.25
6.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 ฿135
$4.43 ฿140
-3.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.31 ฿643
$18.79 ฿595
8.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿56.7
$1.79 ฿56.7
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ฿87.6
$2.69 ฿85.1
2.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Pai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 ฿44.44
$0.90 ฿28.60
55.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.70 ฿370
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿98.4
$1.05 ฿33.31
196.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 ฿31.48
$1.14 ฿36.00
-13.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.73 ฿435
$6.18 ฿196
122.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ฿41.75
$1.25 ฿39.72
5.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K ฿862.0K
$28.2K ฿891.3K
-3.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K ฿1.1M
$27.5K ฿870.5K
24.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Pai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ฿3,811
$74.2 ฿2,347
62.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿441
$13.57 ฿429
2.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 ฿579
$18.57 ฿588
-1.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Pai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.9 ฿1,928
$48.59 ฿1,538
25.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.23 ฿545
$12.23 ฿387
40.88%
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 ฿276
$6.96 ฿220
25.14%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Pai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.1K
$303 ฿9,574
130.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.7K ฿498.0K
$9,374 ฿296.7K
67.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Pai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 ฿1,824
$32.37 ฿1,025
78.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.24 ฿1,084
$34.62 ฿1,096
-1.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 ฿3,582
$82.3 ฿2,605
37.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,684
$67.1 ฿2,123
26.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Pai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$604 ฿19.1K
$446 ฿14.1K
35.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 ฿13.8K
$265 ฿8,375
64.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,057 ฿65.1K
$816 ฿25.8K
152.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,498 ฿47.4K
$644 ฿20.4K
132.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,252 ฿134.6K
$2,457 ฿77.7K
73.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,988 ฿94.6K
$1,853 ฿58.6K
61.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Pai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$529 ฿16.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
5.45
-2.20%

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

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

Last update for Pai: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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