Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Paihia

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,878 in Paihia, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
96

Cost of Living Index in Paihia
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Paihia Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Paihia

🇳🇿 New Zealand

$1,878

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Paihia

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $1,878 in Paihia, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Paihia $1,878

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $2,919 in Paihia, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Paihia $2,919

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $3,960 in Paihia, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Paihia $3,960

Phuket is about 36% cheaper than Paihia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Paihia is 39% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$13.79 NZ$24.39

-66.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$33.24 NZ$58.8

-2.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$8.35 NZ$14.77

2.40%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.31 NZ$5.86

-17.82%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.92 NZ$3.40

-51.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.80 NZ$3.18

-72.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$6.68 NZ$11.81

-61.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.63 NZ$11.72

-42.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.86 NZ$3.29

-6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$2.24 NZ$3.96

-36.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.89 NZ$3.34

-19.05%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$6.39 NZ$11.29

-66.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$8.42 NZ$14.89

127.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$9.68 NZ$17.13

-65.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$17.32 NZ$30.63

-35.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.83 NZ$5.00

4.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.11 NZ$3.74

-20.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.01 NZ$5.33

-23.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$5.68 NZ$10.05

-62.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.08 NZ$3.67

-26.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.53 NZ$2.70

-11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.99 NZ$3.52

-43.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.04 NZ$1.83

-47.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$27.24 NZ$48.17

-84.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.39 NZ$18.37

75.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.73 NZ$4.82

-36.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.30 NZ$5.84

-15.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.60 NZ$2.82

38.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$82.1 NZ$145

-73.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.70 NZ$3.01

71.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$2.00 NZ$3.54

-49.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$31.30 NZ$55.4

-87.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.87 NZ$3.30

-20.32%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$25.6K NZ$45.2K

4.41%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$22.4K NZ$39.6K

19.38%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$184 NZ$325

-45.85%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$26.10 NZ$46.16

-56.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$50.5 NZ$89.4

-65.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$33.25 NZ$58.8

57.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$12.74 NZ$22.53

-40.58%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$1,097 NZ$1,939

-49.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$19.4K NZ$34.3K

-40.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$77.9 NZ$138

-19.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$39.32 NZ$69.5

-27.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$91.0 NZ$161

5.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$108 NZ$192

-18.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$939 NZ$1,660

-22.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$742 NZ$1,311

-37.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,802 NZ$3,187

16.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,607 NZ$2,843

-23.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$4,161 NZ$7,359

-16.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$3,605 NZ$6,376

-30.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.37

3.72%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Paihia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Paihia

$742 39.5% 61.2% $282

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Paihia

$338 18% 26.2% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Paihia

$260 13.9% 103% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Paihia

$143 7.6% 14.9% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Paihia

$237 12.6% 95% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Paihia

$59 3.1% 12.9% $8.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Paihia

$100 5.3% 158% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $939 in Paihia. 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $33.00 in Paihia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $338 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇿 Paihia

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

12:34 12:34 PM

6 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 NZD = 0.565 USD

1 NZD = 0.503 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.77 NZD (1 NZD = 0.565 USD). 1 EUR = 1.99 NZD (1 NZD = 0.503 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Paihia 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Paihia

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 Paihia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,207 in Phuket, $1,878 in Paihia – roughly 56% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $2,816 in Paihia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Paihia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $33.00 in Paihia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Paihia at $1,878. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Paihia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $1,878 in Paihia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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