Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Paks

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Paks: $1,207 and $1,150 a month, rent and utilities included.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Paks
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Paks Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Paks

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Paks

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,150 in Paks.

Phuket $1,207
Paks $1,150

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,715 in Paks.

Phuket $2,037
Paks $1,715

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,279 in Paks.

Phuket $2,867
Paks $2,279

Living in Phuket is roughly 5% more expensive than in Paks, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Paks 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$8.65 Ft 2,787

-47.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,085

$30.55 Ft 9,846

6.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$7.31 Ft 2,357

16.96%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿90.9

$0.87 Ft 281

212.64%

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

$0.94 ฿31.23

$1.20 Ft 387

-21.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.84 Ft 272

-41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.5

$1.24 Ft 400

108.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.94 Ft 625

97.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.0

$1.16 Ft 375

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.80

$0.61 Ft 197

134.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.41 Ft 777

-36.51%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$3.22 Ft 1,038

-32.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.96 Ft 3,532

74.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$6.29 Ft 2,028

-47.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$13.34 Ft 4,301

-16.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.83 Ft 588

61.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.08 Ft 671

-19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.07 Ft 666

11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.2

$3.90 Ft 1,257

-45.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.57 Ft 185

168.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.52

$0.53 Ft 172

156.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.42

$1.56 Ft 502

-28.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.23

$0.50 Ft 162

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$7.98 Ft 2,572

-46.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$6.17 Ft 1,988

194.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.22 Ft 395

42.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.64 Ft 530

70.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.0

$1.25 Ft 402

77.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$24.22 Ft 7,808

-8.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.01 Ft 971

-3.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.77

$1.50 Ft 484

-32.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$18.21 Ft 5,871

-78.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.82

$1.84 Ft 594

-19.02%

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

$26.7K ฿891.1K

$32.6K Ft 10.5M

-18.27%

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

$26.7K ฿892.1K

$36.5K Ft 11.8M

-26.83%

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

$99.4 ฿3,319

$132 Ft 42.6K

-24.88%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$10.23 Ft 3,299

10.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$11.94 Ft 3,849

45.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,746

$47.58 Ft 15.3K

9.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$21.10 Ft 6,801

-48.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.47 Ft 2,407

1.34%

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

$558 ฿18.6K

$253 Ft 81.4K

121.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.7K

$6,945 Ft 2.2M

65.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,100

$89.8 Ft 28.9K

-29.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$13.92 Ft 4,488

105.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,211

$97.3 Ft 31.4K

-1.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,941

$105 Ft 33.9K

-16.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$529 Ft 170.6K

37.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$405 Ft 130.7K

13.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$755 Ft 243.4K

177.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$641 Ft 206.5K

90.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.5K

$3,116 Ft 1.0M

11.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.1K

$2,611 Ft 841.6K

-4.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,276 Ft 411.3K

-61.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.25

-32.48%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Paks: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Paks

$405 35.2% 11.9% $55

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Paks

$231 20.1% 13.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Paks

$154 13.4% 20.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Paks

$138 12% 11.1% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Paks

$120 10.4% 1.2% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Paks

$63 5.4% 7.3% $4.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Paks

$40 3.5% 2.2% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $529 in Paks. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paks pays 159% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $31.00 in Paks for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $231 per month, with Paks cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇭🇺 Paks

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

18:43 6:43 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

17,917

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 33.4 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.46 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Paks 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Paks

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 Paks: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Paks differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $1,150 including rent). Paks is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 159% lower in Paks. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $529 in Paks. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Paks – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,150 in Paks versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Paks but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Paks the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Paks are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Paks gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.