Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pau

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,452 in Pau, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Pau despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
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Pau Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pau

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,452 in Pau, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Pau $1,452

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,274 in Pau, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Pau $2,274

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,097 in Pau, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Pau $3,097

Phuket is about 12% cheaper than Pau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Pau is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.79 €15.03

-73.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$47.82 €42.83

-32.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.37 €10.18

-22.52%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.83 €3.43

-26.11%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.65 €2.37

-67.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.57 €1.41

-68.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.75 €5.15

-55.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.85 €3.44

-4.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.14 €1.02

45.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.26 €2.02

-35.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.56 €1.40

-3.85%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.57 €4.99

-62.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$20.77 €18.60

-8.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.81 €10.58

-72.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$24.35 €21.81

-55.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.75 €3.35

-21.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.17 €1.94

-22.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.06 €1.85

9.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.22 €2.88

-35.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.72 €1.54

-12.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$2.21 €1.98

-37.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.25 €1.12

-14.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.68 €0.61

-23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$12.75 €11.42

-67.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.02 €8.97

87.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$4.45 €3.99

-59.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$5.65 €5.06

-49.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.36 €1.21

6.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$34.00 €30.45

66.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.03 €1.82

-27.59%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.0K €30.5K

-21.30%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$36.5K €32.7K

-26.80%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$86.0 €77.0

12.07%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$30.75 €27.54

-63.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$32.92 €29.48

-48.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$41.89 €37.51

60.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$12.09 €10.83

-37.97%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$394 €353

20.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$4,474 €4,007

151.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$111 €99.1

-43.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$34.19 €30.62

-16.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$90.2 €80.8

4.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$90.0 €80.6

-4.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$740 €663

-3.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$394 €352

24.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,076 €964

79.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$691 €618

107.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,478 €2,219

68.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,000 €1,792

52.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,074 €2,753

-83.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.81

46.19%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pau: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Pau

$394 27.1% 19.8% $97

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Pau

$389 26.8% 46.2% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Pau

$150 10.3% 20.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pau

$146 10.1% 20% $24

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Pau

$268 18.4% 120% $146

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Pau

$66 4.6% 19.7% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Pau

$39 * 2.7% 44.1% $31

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 $740 in Pau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Pau are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $48 in Pau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $389 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇫🇷 Pau

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

06:41 6:41 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

77,066

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Pau 10,110 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Pau

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 Pau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,452 in Pau – Phuket comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,178 in Pau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $716 in Phuket and $740 in Pau. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Pau, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $48 in Pau. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,452 in Pau. 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, Pau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.