Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sari

For one person, living is cheaper in Sari: $874 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Sari
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Sari Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Sari

🇮🇷 Iran

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sari

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $874 in Sari.

Phuket $1,278
Sari $874

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,080 in Sari.

Phuket $2,216
Sari $1,080

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,287 in Sari.

Phuket $3,154
Sari $1,287

Living in Phuket is roughly 46% more expensive than in Sari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sari 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$3.55 $3.55

25.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$11.80 $11.80

174.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.08 $4.08

115.93%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 $0.91

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.23 $1.23

130.08%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.48 $0.48

81.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.52 $0.52

-5.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.48 $0.48

245.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.60 $0.60

143.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.32 $3.32

-54.82%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.23 $1.23

69.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$4.48 $4.48

325.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.46 $3.46

-4.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.25 $9.25

17.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.32 $1.32

121.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.88 $1.88

-10.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.19 $1.19

89.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.65 $0.65

220.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.59 $0.59

155.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.51 $0.51

170.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.58 $0.58

84.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.30 $0.30

73.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.44 $2.44

72.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$9.87 $9.87

474.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.51 $0.51

492.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.31 $0.31

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.03 $3.03

21.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$0.09 $0.09

1533.33%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$50.9K $50.9K

-47.44%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$45.1K $45.1K

-40.81%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$13.18 $13.18

631.03%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$1.58 $1.58

612.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$3.99 $3.99

322.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$49.52 $49.52

35.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$11.93 $11.93

-10.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$1.02 $1.02

635.29%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$49.24 $49.24

866.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$815 $815

1282.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$26.10 $26.10

138.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$37.45 $37.45

-24.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$115 $115

-18.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$73.5 $73.5

16.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$794 $794

-9.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$497 $497

-1.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$693 $693

177.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$401 $401

256.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$857 $857

387.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$526 $526

478.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$248 $248

102.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

24.79

-77.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sari: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Sari

$497 56.8% 1.2% $5.7

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Sari

$122 14% 54.1% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Sari

$19 2.1% 84.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sari

$113 13% 6.9% $8.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sari

$59 6.8% 51.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Sari

$52 5.9% 37.3% $31

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Sari

$12 * 1.4% 83.1% $59

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 $794 in Sari. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $12 in Sari for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $122 per month, with Sari cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇷 Sari

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

00:17 12:17 AM

3 h 30 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

300,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Sari 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sari

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 Sari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sari is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2 times higher, 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 $794 in Sari. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $49 in Sari. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 118% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $874 in Sari versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sari but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sari 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 Sari are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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