Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Serowe

For one person, living is cheaper in Serowe: $79.9 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Serowe

🇧🇼 Botswana

$79.9

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Serowe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $80 in Serowe.

Phuket $1,294
Serowe $80

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $140 in Serowe.

Phuket $2,204
Serowe $140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $200 in Serowe.

Phuket $3,115
Serowe $200

Living in Phuket is roughly 1519% more expensive than in Serowe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Serowe 94% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,089

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.8

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

$0.93 ฿31.35

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$1.36 P 18.30

27.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.89

$1.11 P 14.89

30.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.2

$1.76 P 23.72

23.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿643

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿367

$4.15 P 55.9

162.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.1

$1.33 P 17.95

121.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.03 P 13.92

64.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.9

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$1.58 P 21.27

34.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.15

$1.47 P 19.76

-0.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.10

$1.34 P 17.99

2.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.26

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.38

$0.66 P 8.92

-16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿615

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.14

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.1

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

$26.9K ฿905.9K

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

$26.3K ฿887.8K

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

$97.8 ฿3,296

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

$11.29 ฿381

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿579

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,303

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$107 P 1,448

393.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿632.9K

$1,739 P 23.4K

980.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,078

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿952

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,235

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,926

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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 Serowe: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Serowe

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Serowe

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Serowe

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Serowe

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Serowe

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Serowe

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Serowe

–

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇼 Serowe

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

18:01 6:01 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

47,447

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 BWP = 7.42 USD

100 BWP = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 13.47 BWP (100 BWP = 7.42 USD). 1 EUR = 15.08 BWP (100 BWP = 6.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Serowe 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Serowe

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 Serowe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serowe is about 94% cheaper overall, especially in groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $120 in Serowe 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 234% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $107 in Serowe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $80 in Serowe versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Serowe but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Serowe 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 Serowe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.