Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saraburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Saraburi: $793 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Saraburi
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Saraburi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Saraburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saraburi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $793 in Saraburi.

Phuket $1,294
Saraburi $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,485 in Saraburi.

Phuket $2,204
Saraburi $1,485

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,176 in Saraburi.

Phuket $3,115
Saraburi $2,176

Living in Phuket is roughly 63% more expensive than in Saraburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Saraburi 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$6.20 ฿209

-29.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$26.96 ฿910

19.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$6.47 ฿218

34.47%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.19 ฿73.8

24.20%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.70 ฿23.61

32.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.26 ฿8.84

92.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.92 ฿64.7

31.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$3.02 ฿102

20.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.44 ฿48.55

20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.12 ฿37.67

29.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.35 ฿45.47

11.11%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.12 ฿71.5

2.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$16.78 ฿566

13.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$2.64 ฿89.0

28.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$10.71 ฿361

1.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$5.15 ฿174

-42.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.78 ฿59.9

-5.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.25 ฿75.8

-2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.98 ฿66.6

7.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$1.49 ฿50.4

-2.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.07 ฿36.17

28.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.10 ฿37.08

-1.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.51 ฿17.22

7.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$4.37 ฿147

1.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$20.89 ฿705

-12.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.64 ฿55.4

7.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.75 ฿92.9

4.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.88 ฿29.69

64.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.01 ฿34.15

49.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.12 ฿37.72

-30.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$4.15 ฿140

-7.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.36 ฿45.73

9.56%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$30.3K ฿1.0M

-11.36%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$29.5K ฿996.8K

-10.83%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$82.2 ฿2,775

18.95%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$11.41 ฿385

-1.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$16.71 ฿564

2.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$48.13 ฿1,624

41.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$15.25 ฿515

-28.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$6.56 ฿221

13.26%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$616 ฿20.8K

-13.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$6,766 ฿228.3K

177.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$49.87 ฿1,683

23.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$29.42 ฿993

-3.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$78.1 ฿2,637

22.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$77.0 ฿2,598

12.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$446 ฿15.0K

61.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$128 ฿4,327

296.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,249 ฿42.1K

56.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$704 ฿23.7K

98.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,252 ฿76.0K

86.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,930 ฿65.1K

70.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$443 ฿15.0K

10.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saraburi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Saraburi

$128 16.2% 74.8% $381

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Saraburi

$263 33.2% 1.5% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Saraburi

$110 13.9% 12.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Saraburi

$105 13.3% 14% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Saraburi

$115 14.5% 4% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Saraburi

$61 7.7% 26.4% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Saraburi

$10 * 1.3% 84.7% $56

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 $446 in Saraburi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 11% 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 $27 in Saraburi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $263 per month, with Saraburi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Saraburi

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

61,900

💱 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 Saraburi 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saraburi

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 Saraburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saraburi is about 39% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% 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: $721 in Phuket versus $446 in Saraburi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Saraburi – a meal for two runs $27 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $616 in Saraburi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $793 in Saraburi versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saraburi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Saraburi 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 Saraburi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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