Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Papua New Guinea
For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,325 in Papua New Guinea, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Papua New Guinea despite lower rent and utilities.
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Phuket Living Index59Cost of Living Index in PhuketLearn more -
Papua New Guinea Living Index65Cost of Living Index in Papua New GuineaLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: Phuket is 17.7% cheaper than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 10.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Phuket is 16.6% cheaper than Papua New Guinea without rent, and 6.9% cheaper with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.35 ฿146
$7.14 PGK 31.29
-39.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.45 ฿1,087
$44.69 PGK 196
-27.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.42 ฿282
$5.55 PGK 24.32
51.71%
Cappuccino
$2.81 ฿94.0
$2.34 PGK 10.24
20.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.29
$0.76 PGK 3.33
14.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ฿15.39
$0.65 PGK 2.86
-29.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$2.62 PGK 11.47
-1.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 ฿122
$3.86 PGK 16.90
-5.70%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 ฿57.2
$1.92 PGK 8.43
-10.94%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.42
$1.53 PGK 6.73
-5.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.3
$1.36 PGK 5.96
14.71%
Eggs
$2.10 ฿70.3
$3.81 PGK 16.69
-44.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.53 ฿654
$6.27 PGK 27.49
211.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$6.00 PGK 26.29
-43.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿373
$9.33 PGK 40.88
19.40%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 ฿94.8
$4.01 PGK 17.56
-29.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 ฿54.3
$3.35 PGK 14.69
-51.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 ฿74.5
$6.17 PGK 27.05
-64.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.15 ฿71.9
$5.13 PGK 22.47
-58.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 ฿49.95
$3.65 PGK 16.00
-59.18%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.40
$2.74 PGK 12.03
-51.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.72
$2.00 PGK 8.77
-46.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.01
$1.14 PGK 4.97
-55.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 ฿147
$6.37 PGK 27.94
-31.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.77 ฿629
$10.54 PGK 46.21
78.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.3
$2.58 PGK 11.29
-32.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿92.9
$3.66 PGK 16.03
-24.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Papua New Guinea
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.17 ฿72.6
$0.43 PGK 1.87
404.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.28 ฿746
$25.43 PGK 111
-12.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿101
$4.95 PGK 21.70
-38.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.43
$2.23 PGK 9.78
-52.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.71 ฿124
$14.19 PGK 62.2
-73.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 ฿47.88
$0.95 PGK 4.15
50.53%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿882.1K
$28.7K PGK 125.6K
-8.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K ฿877.3K
$22.7K PGK 99.6K
15.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.7 ฿3,236
$93.1 PGK 408
3.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.41 ฿382
$27.52 PGK 121
-58.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.11 ฿573
$116 PGK 506
-85.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ฿1,768
$63.5 PGK 278
-16.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.07 ฿371
$24.15 PGK 106
-54.16%
Cinema Ticket
$7.65 ฿256
$8.99 PGK 39.42
-14.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$555 ฿18.6K
$526 PGK 2,307
5.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿377.7K
$5,532 PGK 24.2K
103.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.4 ฿2,123
$35.26 PGK 155
79.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.61 ฿958
$30.74 PGK 135
-6.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.7 ฿3,238
$69.0 PGK 302
40.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 ฿2,967
$92.3 PGK 404
-3.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Papua New Guinea
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 ฿24.6K
$1,597 PGK 6,998
-53.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$458 ฿15.3K
$444 PGK 1,946
3.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 ฿70.4K
$2,846 PGK 12.5K
-26.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 ฿39.7K
$1,033 PGK 4,525
14.96%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,493 ฿116.9K
$2,005 PGK 8,789
74.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,491 ฿83.4K
$3,785 PGK 16.6K
-34.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Papua New Guinea
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.8K
$418 PGK 1,833
19.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
13.67
-59.25%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026
Last update for Papua New Guinea: October 3, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket $458 38.1%
Papua New Guinea $444 33.2% 3.1% $14
Groceries & Markets
Phuket $268 22.3%
Papua New Guinea $302 22.6% 12.6% $34
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket $125 10.4%
Papua New Guinea $236 17.7% 88.6% $111
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket $125 10.4%
Papua New Guinea $102 7.7% 18.1% $23
Eating Out
Phuket $119 9.9%
Papua New Guinea $128 9.6% 7.5% $9
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket $68 5.7%
Papua New Guinea $81 6.1% 19.7% $13
Getting Around
Phuket $39 3.3%
Papua New Guinea $43 3.2% 10.2% $4
Accommodation & Living
Phuket $1.2K 42%
Papua New Guinea $1K 34.6% 13% $154
Groceries & Markets
Phuket $604 21.4%
Papua New Guinea $702 23.6% 16.2% $98
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket $137 4.8%
Papua New Guinea $264 8.9% 93% $127
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket $277 9.8%
Papua New Guinea $227 7.6% 18.1% $50
Eating Out
Phuket $393 13.9%
Papua New Guinea $481 16.1% 22.2% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket $147 5.2%
Papua New Guinea $187 6.3% 27.1% $40
Getting Around
Phuket $83 2.9%
Papua New Guinea $87 2.9% 5.4% $4.5
Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
Weather
Population
79,308
8,935,000
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Phuket Papua New Guinea 5,740 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
- Phuket
- Papua New Guinea
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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