Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Port Vila

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $3,148 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $23,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,148

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Port Vila

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $3,148 in Port Vila.

Phuket $1,207
Port Vila $3,148

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $4,290 in Port Vila.

Phuket $2,037
Port Vila $4,290

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $5,432 in Port Vila.

Phuket $2,867
Port Vila $5,432

Living in Phuket costs roughly 62% less than in Port Vila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Port Vila is 133% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$12.57 VUV 1,474

-63.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$55.9 VUV 6,558

-41.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$14.47 VUV 1,697

-40.91%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.99 VUV 468

-31.83%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$2.30 VUV 270

-59.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$2.35 VUV 276

-79.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$5.14 VUV 603

-49.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$7.16 VUV 839

-46.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.73 VUV 320

-36.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.97 VUV 231

-27.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$3.63 VUV 426

-57.85%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$6.30 VUV 739

-65.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$17.57 VUV 2,061

8.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$16.60 VUV 1,947

-80.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$13.68 VUV 1,604

-18.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$7.13 VUV 837

-58.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$2.15 VUV 252

-21.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$3.86 VUV 453

-40.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$9.44 VUV 1,107

-77.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$9.13 VUV 1,071

-83.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$3.47 VUV 407

-60.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$2.58 VUV 303

-56.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$1.20 VUV 140

-54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$9.06 VUV 1,063

-52.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$12.51 VUV 1,467

45.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.45 VUV 287

-28.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.70 VUV 316

3.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.29 VUV 151

72.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$68.6 VUV 8,052

-67.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$2.57 VUV 302

13.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.88 VUV 103

14.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$5.19 VUV 609

-26.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.76 VUV 206

-15.34%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$22.8K VUV 2.7M

16.82%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$37.9K VUV 4.5M

-29.59%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$636 VUV 74.6K

-84.37%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$22.30 VUV 2,615

-49.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$362 VUV 42.4K

-95.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$67.7 VUV 7,936

-22.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$16.93 VUV 1,986

-35.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$631 VUV 74.0K

-11.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$6,973 VUV 818.0K

64.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$41.45 VUV 4,862

51.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$67.0 VUV 7,856

-57.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$86.0 VUV 10.1K

11.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$102 VUV 12.0K

-14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,549 VUV 181.7K

-52.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$1,120 VUV 131.3K

-58.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$3,413 VUV 400.3K

-38.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,886 VUV 221.3K

-35.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$5,917 VUV 694.1K

-41.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,162 VUV 253.6K

15.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$678 VUV 79.5K

-27.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.18

-9.87%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Port Vila: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.6% 143% $660

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Port Vila

$476 15.1% 78% $209

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Port Vila

$1K 32.4% 696% $891

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Port Vila

$134 4.2% 7.7% $9.5

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Port Vila

$250 8% 106% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2% 0.4% $0.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Port Vila

$81 2.6% 108% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $1,549 in Port Vila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Port Vila pays 38% 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 $56.0 in Port Vila for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $476 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

19:41 7:41 PM

4 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

44,039 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VUV, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Port Vila 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Port Vila

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 Port Vila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 161% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 38% lower in Port Vila. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $1,549 in Port Vila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $631 in Port Vila. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Port Vila. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $3,148 in Port Vila, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Port Vila. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Phuket and Port Vila 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 161% less than in Port Vila. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.