Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Quang Ngai

For one person, living is cheaper in Quang Ngai: $484 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Quang Ngai
Learn more

Quang Ngai Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Quang Ngai

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Quang Ngai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $484 in Quang Ngai.

Phuket $1,294
Quang Ngai $484

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $751 in Quang Ngai.

Phuket $2,204
Quang Ngai $751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,019 in Quang Ngai.

Phuket $3,115
Quang Ngai $1,019

Living in Phuket is roughly 167% more expensive than in Quang Ngai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Quang Ngai 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$1.00 ₫25.8K

339.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$10.32 ₫265.9K

213.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$4.78 ₫123.2K

82.01%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$1.29 ₫33.1K

110.85%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$0.32 ₫8,209

190.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$0.17 ₫4,397

194.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$1.39 ₫35.7K

82.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.48 ₫38.0K

145.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.59 ₫40.9K

9.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$0.41 ₫10.5K

253.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.80 ₫20.6K

87.50%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.49 ₫38.4K

45.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$7.53 ₫194.0K

153.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$3.91 ₫100.8K

-13.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$6.36 ₫163.8K

71.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$1.90 ₫49.0K

54.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$0.56 ₫14.5K

201.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.35 ₫34.8K

62.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.35 ₫34.7K

57.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.20 ₫30.9K

21.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$0.95 ₫24.5K

44.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$0.32 ₫8,298

237.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.49 ₫12.5K

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$1.28 ₫33.1K

246.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$5.71 ₫147.0K

219.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$0.58 ₫15.0K

205.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$0.86 ₫22.1K

234.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$0.37 ₫9,416

291.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$5.72 ₫147.3K

859.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.60 ₫15.5K

151.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$0.38 ₫9,783

105.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$1.93 ₫49.6K

98.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$0.80 ₫20.5K

86.25%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$30.8K ₫792.6M

-12.64%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$28.4K ₫731.1M

-7.17%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$66.1 ₫1.7M

48.06%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$6.49 ₫167.1K

73.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$7.65 ₫197.1K

124.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$9.59 ₫247.0K

612.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$4.75 ₫122.3K

129.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$3.47 ₫89.4K

114.12%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$136 ₫3.5M

290.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$3,851 ₫99.2M

387.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$7.56 ₫194.7K

715.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$7.66 ₫197.4K

268.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$102 ₫2.6M

-6.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$26.65 ₫686.5K

225.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$180 ₫4.6M

300.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$119 ₫3.1M

327.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$382 ₫9.8M

410.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$247 ₫6.4M

464.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$219 ₫5.6M

124.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-20.43%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Quang Ngai: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Quang Ngai

$119 24.6% 76.6% $390

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Quang Ngai

$144 29.8% 46% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Quang Ngai

$80 16.6% 36.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Quang Ngai

$65 13.4% 47.1% $58

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Quang Ngai

$50 10.3% 58.5% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Quang Ngai

$17 3.4% 80.1% $67

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Quang Ngai

$9.7 2% 85.3% $56

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $180 in Quang Ngai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.2 times 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 in Phuket vs $10 in Quang Ngai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $144 per month, with Quang Ngai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Quang Ngai

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

112,384

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 29,000 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Quang Ngai 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Quang Ngai

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 Quang Ngai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quang Ngai is about 63% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. 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: $721 in Phuket versus $180 in Quang Ngai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $136 in Quang Ngai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 85% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $484 in Quang Ngai versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Quang Ngai but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Quang Ngai 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Quang Ngai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Quang Ngai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.