Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Palau

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,985 in Palau, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,190
/mo nomad
🇵🇼 Palau
$1,985
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Phuket is 52.2% cheaper than Palau without rent, and 40.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Phuket is 39.8% cheaper than Palau without rent, and 29.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Palau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.35 ฿146
$13.61 $13.61
-68.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.45 ฿1,087
$75.1 $75.1
-56.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.42 ฿282
$9.94 $9.94
-15.29%
Cappuccino
$2.81 ฿94.0
$4.04 $4.04
-30.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.29
$1.40 $1.40
-37.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ฿15.39
$1.05 $1.05
-56.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$1.53 $1.53
69.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 ฿122
$2.14 $2.14
70.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Palau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 ฿57.2
$2.59 $2.59
-33.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.42
$3.05 $3.05
-52.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.3
$0.26 $0.26
500.00%
Eggs
$2.10 ฿70.3
$6.35 $6.35
-66.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.53 ฿654
$9.95 $9.95
96.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$13.65 $13.65
-75.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿373
$19.59 $19.59
-43.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 ฿94.8
$5.37 $5.37
-47.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 ฿54.3
$2.26 $2.26
-28.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 ฿74.5
$5.57 $5.57
-60.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.15 ฿71.9
$16.51 $16.51
-86.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 ฿49.95
$4.70 $4.70
-68.30%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.40
$3.40 $3.40
-60.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.72
$1.98 $1.98
-45.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.01
$1.74 $1.74
-70.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 ฿147
$14.91 $14.91
-70.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.77 ฿629
$22.37 $22.37
-16.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.3
$3.49 $3.49
-50.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿92.9
$3.40 $3.40
-18.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Palau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.17 ฿72.6
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.28 ฿746
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿101
$2.47 $2.47
22.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.43
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.71 ฿124
$5.86 $5.86
-36.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 ฿47.88
$1.92 $1.92
-25.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿882.1K
$17.8K $17.8K
48.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K ฿877.3K
$15.2K $15.2K
72.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Palau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.7 ฿3,236
$170 $170
-43.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.41 ฿382
$52.3 $52.3
-78.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.11 ฿573
$198 $198
-91.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Palau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ฿1,768
$79.3 $79.3
-33.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.07 ฿371
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.65 ฿256
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Palau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$555 ฿18.6K
$255 $255
117.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿377.7K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Palau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.4 ฿2,123
$84.0 $84.0
-24.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.61 ฿958
$65.4 $65.4
-56.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.7 ฿3,238
$195 $195
-50.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 ฿2,967
$195 $195
-54.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Palau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 ฿24.6K
$737 $737
-0.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$458 ฿15.3K
$530 $530
-13.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 ฿70.4K
$2,156 $2,156
-2.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 ฿39.7K
$934 $934
27.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,493 ฿116.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,491 ฿83.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Palau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.8K
$773 $773
-35.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
0
-

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Palau: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$458
Palau
$530 15.7% $72
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Palau
$504 87.9% $236
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
Palau
$420 236% $295
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$125
Palau
$243 94.3% $118
Eating Out
Phuket
$119
Palau
$209 75.1% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
Palau
$79 * 16.4% $11
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Palau
$2.5 * 93.7% $37

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

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇵🇼 Palau
🕒 Local time
17:04 5:04 PM
19:04 7:04 PM
2 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
21,729
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Palau 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Palau

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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