Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rayong

For one person, living is cheaper in Rayong: $940 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Rayong
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Rayong Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Rayong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$940

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rayong

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $940 in Rayong.

Phuket $1,278
Rayong $940

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,192 in Rayong.

Phuket $2,216
Rayong $1,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,444 in Rayong.

Phuket $3,154
Rayong $1,444

Living in Phuket is roughly 36% more expensive than in Rayong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Rayong 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.99 ฿101

49.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$17.80 ฿600

82.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.53 ฿254

17.00%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.68 ฿56.6

68.45%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.52 ฿17.41

67.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.28 ฿9.48

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.74 ฿58.8

47.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.01 ฿102

22.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.90 ฿64.2

-12.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.32 ฿44.43

10.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.40 ฿47.27

7.14%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.48 ฿83.7

-15.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$17.25 ฿582

10.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.86 ฿96.3

15.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.00 ฿439

-16.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.29 ฿111

-10.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.73 ฿58.5

-2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.26 ฿76.4

-0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.88 ฿63.6

10.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.69 ฿57.1

-10.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.48 ฿49.90

-6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.28 ฿43.05

-16.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.48 ฿16.14

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.76 ฿161

-11.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$14.72 ฿497

27.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.77 ฿59.7

2.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.26 ฿110

-12.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.06 ฿35.89

184.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.20 ฿40.46

-15.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.09 ฿206

-39.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.40 ฿47.13

5.00%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$30.6K ฿1.0M

-12.57%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$26.5K ฿892.4K

0.91%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$44.92 ฿1,516

114.49%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$14.62 ฿493

-22.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$11.77 ฿397

43.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

0.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$17.41 ฿588

-38.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.63 ฿224

13.12%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$788 ฿26.6K

-39.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$16.5K ฿556.4K

-31.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$69.4 ฿2,341

-10.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$43.09 ฿1,454

-34.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$98.1 ฿3,310

-3.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$103 ฿3,476

-16.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$421 ฿14.2K

69.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$293 ฿9,902

67.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,999 ฿67.5K

52.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$460 ฿15.5K

9.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rayong: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Rayong

$293 31.2% 40.2% $197

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Rayong

$262 27.9% 1.7% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Rayong

$71 7.6% 42.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rayong

$141 15% 15.8% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rayong

$85 9% 30.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Rayong

$80 8.6% 2.1% $1.8

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Rayong

$7.1 * 0.8% 90% $64

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 $421 in Rayong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 9% 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 $18 in Rayong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $262 per month, with Rayong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Rayong

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

63,565

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Rayong 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rayong

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 Rayong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 9% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $421 in Rayong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rayong – a meal for two runs $18 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $788 in Rayong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $940 in Rayong versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Rayong but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rayong 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 Rayong are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Rayong wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.