Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Polomolok

For one person, living is cheaper in Polomolok: $612 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Polomolok
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Polomolok Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Polomolok

🇵🇭 Philippines

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Polomolok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $612 in Polomolok.

Phuket $1,278
Polomolok $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $966 in Polomolok.

Phuket $2,216
Polomolok $966

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,321 in Polomolok.

Phuket $3,154
Polomolok $1,321

Living in Phuket is roughly 109% more expensive than in Polomolok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Polomolok 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.53 ₱97.6

192.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$16.22 ₱1,036

99.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.06 ₱131

327.67%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.12 ₱135

33.49%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.37 ₱23.73

135.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.66 ₱42.33

-25.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.14 ₱72.5

124.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.12 ₱136

73.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.58 ₱101

5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.89 ₱56.8

64.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.64 ₱40.93

134.38%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.92 ₱123

8.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$6.35 ₱405

200.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.72 ₱174

21.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$5.61 ₱358

94.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.52 ₱161

16.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.57 ₱36.13

196.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.42 ₱154

-7.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.76 ₱48.46

173.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.15 ₱73.5

31.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$2.78 ₱178

-50.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.81 ₱51.5

32.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.66 ₱42.05

-21.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.45 ₱156

71.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.06 ₱451

166.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.92 ₱58.5

97.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.52 ₱97.2

86.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.22 ₱14.31

559.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$12.59 ₱804

350.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.82 ₱52.3

268.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.22 ₱14.05

363.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.92 ₱122

92.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.85 ₱54.3

72.94%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$15.4K ₱985.8K

73.56%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$17.1K ₱1.1M

55.98%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$50.4 ₱3,219

91.25%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.88 ₱1,207

-40.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$26.19 ₱1,673

-35.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$31.17 ₱1,992

115.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$5.26 ₱336

103.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.93 ₱251

90.84%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$106 ₱6,744

350.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,346 ₱86.0K

736.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$32.46 ₱2,074

92.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$18.92 ₱1,209

50.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$62.7 ₱4,006

50.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$61.6 ₱3,936

39.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$254 ₱16.2K

181.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$169 ₱10.8K

189.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$558 ₱35.7K

245.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$359 ₱22.9K

298.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,598 ₱166.0K

60.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,128 ₱72.1K

169.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$233 ₱14.9K

115.31%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Polomolok: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Polomolok

$169 27.7% 65.5% $322

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Polomolok

$156 25.5% 41.5% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Polomolok

$95 15.6% 23.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Polomolok

$79 12.9% 35.1% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Polomolok

$58 9.5% 52.5% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Polomolok

$39 6.4% 52.5% $43

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Polomolok

$15 2.5% 78.2% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $254 in Polomolok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Polomolok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $156 per month, with Polomolok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇭 Polomolok

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

06:04 6:04 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

172,605

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Polomolok 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Polomolok

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 Polomolok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polomolok is about 52% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $716 in Phuket versus $254 in Polomolok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $106 in Polomolok. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 71% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $612 in Polomolok versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 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.

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.

Expats usually find Polomolok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.