Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Samut Prakan

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Prakan: $886 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
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Samut Prakan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Samut Prakan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $886 in Samut Prakan.

Phuket $1,208
Samut Prakan $886

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,378 in Samut Prakan.

Phuket $2,027
Samut Prakan $1,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,869 in Samut Prakan.

Phuket $2,845
Samut Prakan $1,869

Living in Phuket is roughly 36% more expensive than in Samut Prakan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Samut Prakan 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.30 ฿110

33.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$15.12 ฿505

113.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.48 ฿250

17.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.38 ฿46.13

105.07%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.52 ฿17.54

73.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.26 ฿8.77

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.02 ฿67.6

26.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.92 ฿97.4

31.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.46 ฿48.92

18.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.98 ฿32.62

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.88 ฿29.34

71.59%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.84 ฿61.5

17.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$12.31 ฿411

60.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.49 ฿83.1

34.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.20 ฿341

9.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.84 ฿61.5

54.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$0.77 ฿25.67

120.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.31 ฿43.68

67.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.21 ฿40.59

69.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.52 ฿50.7

-4.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.77 ฿25.78

79.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.78 ฿25.99

37.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.45 ฿15.01

13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.50 ฿151

-5.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$9.10 ฿304

104.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.03 ฿34.32

72.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.89 ฿63.2

50.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.51 ฿16.95

343.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.74 ฿58.1

72.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.61 ฿53.7

-34.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$5.85 ฿196

-34.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.07 ฿35.84

35.51%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$12.1K ฿405.1K

117.18%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$24.3K ฿811.4K

10.97%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$83.1 ฿2,776

16.02%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$9.40 ฿314

17.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$16.35 ฿547

4.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$47.72 ฿1,595

9.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$15.06 ฿503

-25.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.41 ฿214

21.84%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$148 ฿4,933

276.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$5,950 ฿198.9K

94.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$15.09 ฿504

325.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$35.66 ฿1,192

-19.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$70.9 ฿2,369

34.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$120 ฿4,004

-26.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$478 ฿16.0K

54.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$330 ฿11.0K

40.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,147 ฿38.3K

82.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$691 ฿23.1K

73.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,726 ฿57.7K

102.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,607 ฿53.7K

57.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$671 ฿22.4K

-25.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Samut Prakan

$330 37.2% 28.7% $133

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Samut Prakan

$182 20.5% 32.2% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3% 12.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3% 12.6% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Samut Prakan

$84 9.5% 30.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Samut Prakan

$61 6.8% 10.7% $7.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3% 70.1% $28

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 $737 in Phuket and $478 in Samut Prakan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samut Prakan pays 34% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $15.00 in Samut Prakan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $182 per month, with Samut Prakan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🕒 Local time

21:18 9:18 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

50,843

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Samut Prakan 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Samut Prakan

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 Samut Prakan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samut Prakan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 34% lower in Samut Prakan. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $478 in Samut Prakan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $148 in Samut Prakan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Samut Prakan – a meal for two runs $15.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $886 in Samut Prakan versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Samut Prakan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Samut Prakan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Phuket and Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.