Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Polomolok Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Polomolok

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $630 in Polomolok.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $989 in Polomolok.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $1,348 in Polomolok.

Living in Phuket is roughly 101% more expensive than in Polomolok, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Polomolok 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿153

$1.63 ₱102

185.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,059

$16.66 ₱1,039

93.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿285

$2.12 ₱133

309.43%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.3

$2.17 ₱135

33.64%

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

$0.84 ฿27.75

$0.39 ₱24.05

115.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.08

$0.69 ₱42.86

-28.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿81.6

$1.07 ₱66.7

131.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$1.90 ₱118

96.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.0

$1.64 ₱102

15.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.31

$0.92 ₱57.2

53.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.3

$0.67 ₱41.60

141.79%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿73.7

$1.96 ₱123

14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿652

$6.84 ₱426

190.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿114

$2.64 ₱165

31.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿374

$5.67 ₱353

100.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.3

$2.60 ₱162

11.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿56.7

$0.59 ₱36.62

191.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿74.7

$2.25 ₱140

0.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.1

$0.77 ₱48.03

176.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.49

$1.21 ₱75.8

21.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.69

$2.85 ₱178

-50.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.08

$0.77 ₱47.79

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.66

$0.67 ₱41.65

-10.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$2.43 ₱151

77.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿612

$7.17 ₱447

159.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.2

$1.02 ₱63.5

76.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿97.5

$1.56 ₱97.3

90.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿73.8

$0.25 ₱15.52

800.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿772

$11.26 ₱702

108.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$0.82 ₱51.3

278.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.39

$0.25 ₱15.67

332.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿127

$1.90 ₱118

103.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿46.93

$0.86 ₱53.6

66.28%

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

$27.8K ฿913.6K

$15.8K ₱983.7K

76.14%

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

$27.0K ฿887.2K

$17.7K ₱1.1M

52.06%

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

$105 ฿3,446

$52.4 ₱3,267

100.08%

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

$11.39 ฿375

$19.19 ₱1,197

-40.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿577

$26.81 ₱1,672

-34.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,787

$32.56 ₱2,030

66.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿376

$4.95 ₱309

131.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿256

$3.96 ₱247

96.46%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$108 ₱6,717

435.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿380.8K

$1,362 ₱84.9K

750.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,092

$32.47 ₱2,025

96.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿957

$19.27 ₱1,202

51.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,164

$63.1 ₱3,933

52.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,960

$63.3 ₱3,947

42.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.1K

$273 ₱17.0K

168.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$174 ₱10.9K

187.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿69.9K

$493 ₱30.7K

331.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.2K

$354 ₱22.1K

253.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.2K

$2,590 ₱161.5K

36.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.2K

$1,042 ₱65.0K

151.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.7K

$236 ₱14.7K

115.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Polomolok: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $273 in Polomolok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 115% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $17.00 in Polomolok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $159 per month, with Polomolok cheaper across the board.

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 Polomolok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polomolok is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 101% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 115% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $733 in Phuket versus $273 in Polomolok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $108 in Polomolok. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 73% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $630 in Polomolok versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Polomolok but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Polomolok the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Polomolok is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Polomolok are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Polomolok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 101% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.