Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ratchaburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratchaburi: $950 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Ratchaburi
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Ratchaburi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ratchaburi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $950 in Ratchaburi.

Phuket $1,278
Ratchaburi $950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,553 in Ratchaburi.

Phuket $2,216
Ratchaburi $1,553

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,157 in Ratchaburi.

Phuket $3,154
Ratchaburi $2,157

Living in Phuket is roughly 34% more expensive than in Ratchaburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ratchaburi 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.35 ฿113

33.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$36.38 ฿1,228

-10.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.92 ฿301

-1.23%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.96 ฿66.3

44.39%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.68 ฿22.81

27.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.31 ฿10.58

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.29 ฿77.3

11.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.69 ฿91.0

36.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.74 ฿58.9

-4.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.48 ฿49.97

-1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.37 ฿46.17

9.49%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.18 ฿73.8

-4.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$15.62 ฿528

22.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.64 ฿89.1

25.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.35 ฿350

5.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.36 ฿114

-12.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.21 ฿40.93

39.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.87 ฿63.1

20.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.89 ฿64.0

10.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.25 ฿42.12

20.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.05 ฿35.37

31.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.25 ฿42.33

-14.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.45 ฿15.11

15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.25 ฿144

-1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$18.14 ฿612

3.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.76 ฿59.4

3.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.90 ฿98.0

-2.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.88 ฿29.63

64.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.30 ฿44.03

132.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.09 ฿36.71

-6.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.65 ฿123

1.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.50 ฿50.7

-2.00%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$46.0K ฿1.6M

-41.81%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$27.3K ฿922.7K

-2.32%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$91.0 ฿3,072

5.91%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.51 ฿389

-2.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$19.38 ฿655

-13.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$46.43 ฿1,568

44.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.26 ฿448

-19.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.71 ฿260

-2.72%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$623 ฿21.1K

-23.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$14.2K ฿480.9K

-20.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$51.6 ฿1,742

20.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$28.77 ฿972

-1.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$93.3 ฿3,152

1.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$75.7 ฿2,556

13.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$424 ฿14.3K

68.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$301 ฿10.1K

63.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,173 ฿39.6K

64.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$694 ฿23.4K

106.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,959 ฿66.2K

113.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,435 ฿48.5K

112.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.96

-6.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ratchaburi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Ratchaburi

$301 31.6% 38.8% $190

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Ratchaburi

$246 25.9% 7.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Ratchaburi

$122 12.8% 2.1% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ratchaburi

$112 11.8% 7.9% $9.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Ratchaburi

$98 10.3% 19.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Ratchaburi

$62 6.5% 24.8% $20

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Ratchaburi

$10 * 1.1% 85.5% $60

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 $716 in Phuket and $424 in Ratchaburi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $36 in Ratchaburi. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $246, with Ratchaburi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Ratchaburi

🕒 Local time

03:26 3:26 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

38,208

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Ratchaburi 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Ratchaburi

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 Ratchaburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ratchaburi is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,425 in Ratchaburi 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $424 in Ratchaburi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $623 in Ratchaburi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $36 in Ratchaburi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ratchaburi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Ratchaburi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.