Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Side Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Side

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,123 in Side.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $1,826 in Side.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $2,529 in Side.

Living in Phuket is roughly 13% more expensive than in Side, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Side 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$9.47 ₺460

-50.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$67.2 ₺3,263

-52.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$10.08 ₺490

-13.89%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$3.38 ₺164

-14.20%

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

$0.84 ฿27.89

$2.13 ₺103

-60.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.38 ₺18.56

28.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

$3.74 ₺181

-33.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

$5.95 ₺289

-37.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$1.05 ₺51.0

80.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$0.95 ₺46.19

48.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$2.30 ₺112

-29.57%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$2.03 ₺98.7

10.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$12.56 ₺610

57.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$5.71 ₺277

-39.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

$26.07 ₺1,266

-56.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$1.42 ₺68.9

104.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$2.31 ₺112

-25.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$1.36 ₺66.1

66.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$1.38 ₺66.9

54.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$0.77 ₺37.56

90.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$0.66 ₺32.07

115.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$1.83 ₺88.8

-39.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.68 ₺33.20

-11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$2.61 ₺127

65.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

$13.28 ₺645

40.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

$1.71 ₺83.1

5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

$3.08 ₺150

-3.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$0.72 ₺35.19

212.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

$32.89 ₺1,597

-28.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$1.38 ₺66.8

124.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$1.01 ₺48.94

6.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$5.75 ₺279

-32.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.42 ₺69.0

0.70%

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

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$42.5K ₺2.1M

-34.57%

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

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$39.8K ₺1.9M

-32.15%

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

$105 ฿3,462

$66.3 ₺3,218

58.14%

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

$11.39 ฿376

$10.03 ₺487

13.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$21.50 ₺1,044

-18.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$50.0 ₺2,428

8.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$8.75 ₺425

-11.09%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$611 ₺29.7K

-5.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$10.6K ₺515.1K

9.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$45.65 ₺2,217

39.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$61.8 ₺2,998

-52.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$87.7 ₺4,259

9.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$79.6 ₺3,866

13.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$435 ₺21.1K

68.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$309 ₺15.0K

61.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$766 ₺37.2K

177.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$588 ₺28.6K

112.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$1,489 ₺72.3K

137.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

$1,115 ₺54.1K

135.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.17

-85.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Side: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $435 in Side. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $67.0 in Side for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $276 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 Side: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Side is cheaper overall, especially in Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $1,685 in Side 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: $733 in Phuket versus $435 in Side. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $611 in Side. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,123 in Side versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Side but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Side the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Side 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 Side 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 Side gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.