Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Papeete

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,283 in Papeete, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Papeete
Learn more

Papeete Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Papeete

🇵🇫 French Polynesia

$2,283

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Papeete

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,283 in Papeete, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Papeete $2,283

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,451 in Papeete, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Papeete $3,451

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,620 in Papeete, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Papeete $4,620

Phuket is about 44% cheaper than Papeete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Papeete is 68% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$18.56 CFPF 1,983

-75.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$95.4 CFPF 10.2K

-66.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$14.54 CFPF 1,553

-39.41%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.41 CFPF 364

-17.01%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.62 CFPF 280

-66.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$3.25 CFPF 347

-84.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.35 CFPF 358

-23.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.76 CFPF 402

-2.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.49 CFPF 159

11.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$2.75 CFPF 293

-46.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.61 CFPF 172

-6.83%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$6.36 CFPF 679

-67.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$27.25 CFPF 2,911

-30.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$15.12 CFPF 1,616

-78.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$26.88 CFPF 2,872

-59.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$4.79 CFPF 512

-38.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.42 CFPF 258

-30.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$6.39 CFPF 683

-64.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$7.76 CFPF 830

-73.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.64 CFPF 282

-42.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.18 CFPF 233

-36.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$3.65 CFPF 390

-70.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$1.14 CFPF 121

-54.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$12.97 CFPF 1,386

-67.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$21.00 CFPF 2,244

-10.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.69 CFPF 288

-32.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$3.19 CFPF 340

-10.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.91 CFPF 204

-24.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$9.23 CFPF 986

-67.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.51 CFPF 162

-2.65%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$18.4K CFPF 2.0M

45.61%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$27.8K CFPF 3.0M

-3.92%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$179 CFPF 19.2K

-46.30%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$19.50 CFPF 2,084

-42.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$70.8 CFPF 7,560

-76.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$84.0 CFPF 8,976

-19.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$14.21 CFPF 1,518

-47.22%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$461 CFPF 49.3K

3.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$9,248 CFPF 988.1K

21.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$69.2 CFPF 7,390

-9.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$70.5 CFPF 7,528

-59.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$77.7 CFPF 8,299

21.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$89.3 CFPF 9,543

-3.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,328 CFPF 141.9K

-46.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$947 CFPF 101.2K

-48.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,806 CFPF 193.0K

6.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,513 CFPF 161.6K

-5.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$7,081 CFPF 756.6K

-41.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$7,507 CFPF 802.1K

-59.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,222 CFPF 237.4K

-77.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.5

23.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Papeete: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Papeete

$947 41.5% 93% $457

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Papeete

$517 22.7% 94.3% $251

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Papeete

$270 11.8% 117% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Papeete

$138 6% 13.2% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Papeete

$281 12.3% 131% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Papeete

$112 4.9% 36.7% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Papeete

$17 * 0.7% 76.1% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,328 in Papeete. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Papeete are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $95 in Papeete. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $517 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇫 Papeete

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

20:27 8:27 PM

17 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

26,050 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

CFP Franc XPF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 XPF = 9.36 USD

1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 107 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.36 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Papeete 12,600 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Papeete

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 Papeete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Papeete is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,424 in Papeete. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,328 in Papeete.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,283 in Papeete. That makes Phuket about 44% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $461 in Papeete. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Papeete at $2,283. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Papeete 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 $1,278 in Phuket to $2,283 in Papeete. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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