Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Samut Sakhon

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Sakhon: $935 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Samut Sakhon
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Samut Sakhon Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Samut Sakhon

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $935 in Samut Sakhon.

Phuket $1,294
Samut Sakhon $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,504 in Samut Sakhon.

Phuket $2,204
Samut Sakhon $1,504

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,074 in Samut Sakhon.

Phuket $3,115
Samut Sakhon $2,074

Living in Phuket is roughly 38% more expensive than in Samut Sakhon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Samut Sakhon 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$1.74 ฿58.7

152.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$17.65 ฿595

83.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$5.84 ฿197

48.97%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.18 ฿39.72

130.51%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$0.37 ฿12.62

151.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.27 ฿9.15

85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.90 ฿64.0

33.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.70 ฿90.9

34.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.57 ฿52.8

10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.41 ฿47.67

2.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.40 ฿47.24

7.14%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.22 ฿75.0

-2.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$15.45 ฿521

23.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$2.53 ฿85.3

34.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$10.14 ฿342

7.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.54 ฿119

-16.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.20 ฿40.35

40.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.85 ฿62.3

18.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.87 ฿63.1

13.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.23 ฿41.59

18.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.04 ฿35.13

31.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$1.22 ฿41.18

-11.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$0.43 ฿14.44

27.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.22 ฿142

4.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$18.14 ฿612

0.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.74 ฿58.5

1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.95 ฿99.5

-2.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.39 ฿13.07

271.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.05 ฿35.49

43.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$1.12 ฿37.84

-30.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$3.62 ฿122

6.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.17 ฿39.56

27.35%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$44.9K ฿1.5M

-40.17%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$27.0K ฿911.0K

-2.46%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$93.8 ฿3,163

4.31%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$11.33 ฿382

-0.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$19.04 ฿642

-9.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$50.3 ฿1,696

35.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$14.99 ฿506

-27.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$7.72 ฿260

-3.76%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$619 ฿20.9K

-14.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$21.3K ฿718.2K

-11.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$49.60 ฿1,673

24.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$29.66 ฿1,000

-4.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$93.1 ฿3,140

3.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$76.5 ฿2,580

13.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$509 ฿17.2K

41.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$320 ฿10.8K

59.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,158 ฿39.1K

68.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$776 ฿26.2K

80.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,033 ฿68.6K

106.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,580 ฿53.3K

108.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Samut Sakhon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Samut Sakhon

$320 34.2% 37.2% $189

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Samut Sakhon

$242 25.9% 9.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Samut Sakhon

$124 13.3% 1.7% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Samut Sakhon

$112 12% 8.8% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Samut Sakhon

$63 6.7% 47.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Samut Sakhon

$66 7% 21% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Samut Sakhon

$8.2 * 0.9% 87.6% $58

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 $721 in Phuket and $509 in Samut Sakhon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $18 in Samut Sakhon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $242 per month, with Samut Sakhon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Samut Sakhon

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

67,515

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Samut Sakhon 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Samut Sakhon

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 Sakhon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samut Sakhon is about 28% 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 $1,940 in Phuket and $1,402 in Samut Sakhon 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: $721 in Phuket versus $509 in Samut Sakhon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $619 in Samut Sakhon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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