Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Samaxi

For one person, living is cheaper in Samaxi: $845 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Samaxi
Learn more

Samaxi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Samaxi

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$845

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Samaxi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $845 in Samaxi.

Phuket $1,278
Samaxi $845

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,504 in Samaxi.

Phuket $2,216
Samaxi $1,504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,163 in Samaxi.

Phuket $3,154
Samaxi $2,163

Living in Phuket is roughly 51% more expensive than in Samaxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Samaxi 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.09 ₼13.74

-44.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$28.84 ₼49.02

12.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.82 ₼9.89

51.37%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.60 ₼4.42

8.85%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.87 ₼1.47

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.33 ₼0.57

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.19 ₼2.02

115.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.38 ₼4.05

54.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.30 ₼2.21

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$0.35 ₼0.60

317.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.40 ₼4.07

-37.50%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.16 ₼1.97

80.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$2.90 ₼4.94

557.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.52 ₼7.68

-26.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$8.88 ₼15.09

22.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$0.67 ₼1.15

337.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.63 ₼2.76

3.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.42 ₼2.41

58.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.00 ₼1.70

108.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.60 ₼1.02

151.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$0.49 ₼0.83

181.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.47 ₼0.80

127.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.55 ₼0.94

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.57 ₼6.06

17.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.21 ₼8.86

260.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.92 ₼1.56

97.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.86 ₼3.16

52.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.28 ₼0.47

417.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$14.54 ₼24.70

289.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.80 ₼3.06

67.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$0.30 ₼0.51

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.86 ₼4.86

29.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$0.57 ₼0.97

157.89%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$23.2K ₼39.3K

15.66%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$24.8K ₼42.1K

7.72%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$33.29 ₼56.6

189.43%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.70 ₼21.59

-11.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$14.85 ₼25.24

13.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$29.65 ₼50.4

126.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.89 ₼25.30

-27.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.07 ₼12.02

6.08%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$240 ₼408

98.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$11.7K ₼19.9K

-3.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$46.94 ₼79.8

32.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$57.9 ₼98.4

-50.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$117 ₼199

-19.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$119 ₼202

-27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$389 ₼662

83.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$296 ₼504

65.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$711 ₼1,209

170.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$871 ₼1,481

64.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$2,087 ₼3,546

100.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,169 ₼1,986

160.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$340 ₼578

47.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Samaxi: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Samaxi

$296 35.1% 39.6% $194

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Samaxi

$142 16.9% 46.5% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Samaxi

$61 7.2% 51.1% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Samaxi

$153 18.2% 25.8% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Samaxi

$129 15.3% 5.9% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Samaxi

$44 5.2% 46.7% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Samaxi

$19 2.2% 73.1% $52

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $389 in Samaxi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 48% 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 $29 in Samaxi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $142 per month, with Samaxi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇿 Samaxi

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

41,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.527 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.9 AZN (1 AZN = 0.527 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Samaxi 6,100 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Samaxi

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 Samaxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samaxi is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $389 in Samaxi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $240 in Samaxi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Samaxi 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 Samaxi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Samaxi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.