Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Phan Thiet

For one person, living is cheaper in Phan Thiet: $658 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Phan Thiet
Learn more

Phan Thiet Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Phan Thiet

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Phan Thiet

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $658 in Phan Thiet, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Phan Thiet $658

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,085 in Phan Thiet, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Phan Thiet $1,085

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,512 in Phan Thiet, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Phan Thiet $1,512

Phuket costs about 94% more than Phan Thiet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Phan Thiet are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Phan Thiet 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.63 ₫68.0K

69.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$23.07 ₫596.4K

40.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.60 ₫118.8K

91.52%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$0.61 ₫15.7K

363.93%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.40 ₫10.3K

117.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.21 ₫5,419

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$0.61 ₫15.7K

319.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.22 ₫31.6K

201.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.34 ₫34.6K

23.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.37 ₫9,630

294.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$0.96 ₫24.8K

56.25%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.13 ₫29.2K

84.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.32 ₫318.4K

54.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.14 ₫81.2K

5.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.35 ₫215.9K

30.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.95 ₫50.4K

50.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.80 ₫20.7K

111.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.08 ₫27.9K

108.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.24 ₫32.1K

67.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.81 ₫21.0K

86.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.72 ₫18.7K

91.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.60 ₫15.4K

78.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.55 ₫14.2K

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.57 ₫40.7K

167.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$9.75 ₫252.1K

92.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.41 ₫10.5K

343.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.53 ₫39.6K

85.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.29 ₫7,368

400.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$6.35 ₫164.3K

792.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.59 ₫15.3K

411.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.60 ₫15.4K

70.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.17 ₫56.2K

70.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.92 ₫23.7K

59.78%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$31.1K ₫803.4M

-13.84%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$28.2K ₫728.1M

-5.23%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$43.05 ₫1.1M

123.81%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$6.41 ₫165.8K

75.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$9.43 ₫243.8K

78.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$20.55 ₫531.2K

227.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$7.78 ₫201.1K

37.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.88 ₫48.6K

298.94%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$213 ₫5.5M

123.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$3,840 ₫99.3M

193.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$22.83 ₫590.1K

173.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$23.47 ₫606.6K

21.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$38.53 ₫996.2K

144.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$59.1 ₫1.5M

45.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$479 ₫12.4M

49.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$284 ₫7.3M

73.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$810 ₫20.9M

137.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$629 ₫16.3M

127.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,217 ₫57.3M

88.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,316 ₫34.0M

131.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.28

-32.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phan Thiet: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Phan Thiet

$284 43.1% 42.2% $207

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Phan Thiet

$166 25.2% 37.8% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Phan Thiet

$59 9% 52.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Phan Thiet

$65 9.8% 46.9% $57

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Phan Thiet

$50 7.6% 58.9% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Phan Thiet

$24 3.7% 70.4% $58

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Phan Thiet

$11 1.7% 84.3% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $479 in Phan Thiet. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $23 in Phan Thiet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $166 – making Phan Thiet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Phan Thiet

🕒 Local time

11:01 11:01 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

255,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,779 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Phan Thiet 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Phan Thiet

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 Phan Thiet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $658 in Phan Thiet – Phan Thiet comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $987 in Phan Thiet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phan Thiet, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $479 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $213 in Phan Thiet. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Phan Thiet, where all-in costs run around $658, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Phan Thiet it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phan Thiet – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

For expats, Phan Thiet is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 48% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.