Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Phnom Penh Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Phnom Penh

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $1,250 per month in Phuket vs $939 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

A couple spends around $2,284 per month in Phuket vs $1,462 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

A family of three spends $3,317 per month in Phuket vs $1,985 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Phuket costs about 33% more than Phnom Penh, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both Phuket and Phnom Penh are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Phnom Penh 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$5.04 ៛20.3K

-9.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$29.66 ៛119.6K

55.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$6.97 ៛28.1K

26.83%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$2.61 ៛10.5K

17.24%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$1.03 ៛4,163

-29.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.98 ៛3,965

-59.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$1.48 ៛5,962

64.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$2.46 ៛9,919

53.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$2.06 ៛8,304

9.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.47 ៛5,927

23.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.96 ៛3,885

134.38%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$1.78 ៛7,159

26.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$12.97 ៛52.3K

50.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$4.20 ៛16.9K

-13.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$10.26 ៛41.4K

27.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$4.46 ៛18.0K

-27.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.60 ៛6,433

1.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$3.80 ៛15.3K

-37.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$1.48 ៛5,953

37.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$1.74 ៛7,002

-12.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.21 ៛4,876

23.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$1.44 ៛5,817

-31.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.71 ៛2,879

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$2.03 ៛8,191

118.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$11.07 ៛44.6K

65.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$1.05 ៛4,250

77.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

$1.63 ៛6,580

64.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$1.54 ៛6,217

-8.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$10.57 ៛42.6K

10.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$1.02 ៛4,107

204.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$0.97 ៛3,914

7.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$4.62 ៛18.6K

205.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.12 ៛4,516

16.96%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$49.3K ៛198.8M

-43.61%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$36.4K ៛146.6M

-8.69%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$104 ៛418.4K

17.96%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$6.21 ៛25.0K

118.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$23.75 ៛95.8K

-21.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$46.45 ៛187.2K

30.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$14.53 ៛58.6K

16.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$4.53 ៛18.3K

100.22%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$379 ៛1.5M

86.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$11.6K ៛46.8M

36.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$22.08 ៛89.0K

165.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$22.04 ៛88.8K

60.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$90.9 ៛366.5K

26.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$74.4 ៛299.8K

12.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$505 ៛2.0M

23.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$276 ៛1.1M

61.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$1,038 ៛4.2M

96.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$551 ៛2.2M

170.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$2,910 ៛11.7M

19.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

$1,520 ៛6.1M

69.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

$326 ៛1.3M

53.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

10.3

-48.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $626 in Phuket versus $505 in Phnom Penh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 53% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Phuket versus $30.00 in Phnom Penh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $244 – making Phnom Penh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 33%, and the gap shows up most in Groceries & Markets. It's not just housing either; the difference applies across most spending categories.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,875 per month in Phuket and $1,408 in Phnom Penh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phnom Penh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Phuket and $30.00 in Phnom Penh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phnom Penh, where all-in costs run around $939, than in Phuket at $1,250. In Phnom Penh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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