Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Phnom Penh: $1,083 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,083

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Phnom Penh

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,083 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Phnom Penh $1,083

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $1,778 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Phnom Penh $1,778

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $2,474 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Phnom Penh $2,474

Phuket costs about 18% more than Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Phuket and Phnom Penh are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Phnom Penh 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.55 ៛18.6K

-1.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$40.42 ៛164.9K

-19.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.01 ៛28.6K

25.68%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.84 ៛11.6K

-0.35%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.72 ៛7,011

-49.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.67 ៛2,731

-26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.03 ៛4,193

148.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.05 ៛12.4K

20.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.28 ៛9,297

-27.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.60 ៛6,546

-8.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.07 ៛4,384

40.19%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.82 ៛7,439

14.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$14.70 ៛60.0K

29.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.45 ៛18.2K

-25.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.63 ៛39.3K

13.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.14 ៛16.9K

-29.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.70 ៛6,958

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$4.49 ៛18.3K

-49.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.02 ៛8,230

2.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.72 ៛7,008

-12.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.26 ៛5,133

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.39 ៛5,667

-23.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.77 ៛3,151

-32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.95 ៛7,944

115.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.14 ៛45.5K

68.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.01 ៛4,128

80.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.79 ៛7,306

58.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.38 ៛1,562

281.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$9.88 ៛40.3K

473.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.10 ៛4,470

174.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.01 ៛4,132

0.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.02 ៛20.5K

-26.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.36 ៛5,561

8.09%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$34.8K ៛142.1M

-23.08%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$44.6K ៛182.2M

-40.21%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$118 ៛482.5K

-18.51%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.32 ៛29.9K

53.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$25.26 ៛103.1K

-33.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$37.94 ៛154.8K

77.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$11.05 ៛45.1K

-2.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.09 ៛20.8K

47.35%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$597 ៛2.4M

-20.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$11.1K ៛45.4M

1.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$28.17 ៛114.9K

121.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$24.25 ៛99.0K

17.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$90.2 ៛368.0K

4.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$58.1 ៛236.9K

47.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$658 ៛2.7M

8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$406 ៛1.7M

20.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,441 ៛5.9M

33.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$950 ៛3.9M

50.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,710 ៛11.1M

54.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,523 ៛6.2M

99.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$315 ៛1.3M

59.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.94

-29.85%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Phnom Penh

$406 37.5% 17.3% $85

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Phnom Penh

$258 23.8% 3.1% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Phnom Penh

$151 13.9% 21.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Phnom Penh

$90 8.3% 25.9% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Phnom Penh

$112 10.4% 7.7% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Phnom Penh

$48 4.4% 41.5% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Phnom Penh

$18 1.6% 75.1% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $658 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 59% higher in Phuket. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $40 in Phnom Penh. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $258 in Phnom Penh – so Phnom Penh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,009,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,081 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,542 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Phnom Penh 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Phnom Penh

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $1,625 in Phnom Penh. 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 $658 in Phnom Penh. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 3% 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 $32 in Phuket and $40 in Phnom Penh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Phuket and $1,083 in Phnom Penh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phnom Penh costs $1,083 versus $1,278 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.