Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Poipet

For one person, living is cheaper in Poipet: $518 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Poipet
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Poipet Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Poipet

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Poipet

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $518 in Poipet.

Phuket $1,278
Poipet $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $813 in Poipet.

Phuket $2,216
Poipet $813

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,109 in Poipet.

Phuket $3,154
Poipet $1,109

Living in Phuket is roughly 147% more expensive than in Poipet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Poipet 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.57 ៛10.5K

73.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$20.39 ៛83.2K

58.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.11 ៛24.9K

44.19%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.67 ៛6,817

69.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.67 ៛2,754

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.40 ៛1,626

22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.03 ៛4,190

148.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.05 ៛8,369

79.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.22 ៛9,043

-25.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.69 ៛6,879

-13.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.87 ៛3,546

72.41%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.74 ៛7,120

20.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$15.47 ៛63.1K

23.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.84 ៛11.6K

16.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.24 ៛41.8K

6.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$4.28 ៛17.5K

-31.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.27 ៛5,176

33.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.78 ៛15.4K

-40.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.05 ៛4,269

98.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.28 ៛5,229

17.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.12 ៛4,566

23.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.36 ៛5,545

-21.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.80 ៛3,276

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.39 ៛5,677

202.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.78 ៛31.7K

141.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.99 ៛4,042

83.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.30 ៛9,395

23.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.01 ៛8,213

50.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.97 ៛3,966

5.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$4.92 ៛20.1K

-25.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.26 ៛5,128

16.67%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$25.0K ៛102.0M

7.12%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$22.5K ៛92.0M

18.37%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$102 ៛416.8K

-5.66%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.73 ៛23.4K

96.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$15.50 ៛63.3K

8.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.94 ៛20.2K

51.82%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$289 ៛1.2M

64.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$4,367 ៛17.8M

157.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$25.81 ៛105.3K

141.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$13.13 ៛53.6K

116.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$68.6 ៛279.8K

37.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$44.58 ៛181.9K

92.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.2

-39.46%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Poipet: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Poipet

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Poipet

$236 45.7% 11.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Poipet

$123 23.8% 0.9% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Poipet

$68 13.2% 43.9% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Poipet

$73 14% 40.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Poipet

$9.9 * 1.9% 88% $72

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Poipet

$6.9 * 1.3% 90.3% $64

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $20 in Poipet for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $236 per month, with Poipet cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇭 Poipet

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

98,934

💱 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 = 37.59 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 = 4,543 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Poipet 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Poipet

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 Poipet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Poipet is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $776 in Poipet to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $289 in Poipet. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Poipet – a meal for two runs $20 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $518 in Poipet versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Poipet but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Poipet the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.