Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Side

For one person, living is cheaper in Side: $1,144 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,144

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Side

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,144 in Side.

Phuket $1,278
Side $1,144

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,790 in Side.

Phuket $2,216
Side $1,790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,435 in Side.

Phuket $3,154
Side $2,435

Living in Phuket is roughly 12% more expensive than in Side, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Side 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.26 ₺511

-56.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$29.76 ₺1,483

8.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.45 ₺471

-6.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.44 ₺171

-17.73%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.19 ₺109

-60.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.39 ₺19.48

25.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$4.01 ₺200

-36.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.07 ₺303

-39.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.07 ₺53.1

55.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.97 ₺48.33

50.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.61 ₺130

-42.53%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.29 ₺114

-8.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.70 ₺683

39.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.16 ₺307

-46.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$26.79 ₺1,335

-59.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.57 ₺78.2

86.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.46 ₺123

-31.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.39 ₺69.1

61.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.27 ₺63.5

63.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.79 ₺39.51

91.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.71 ₺35.38

94.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.74 ₺87.0

-38.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.76 ₺37.63

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.78 ₺139

51.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.85 ₺690

35.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.69 ₺84.1

7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.13 ₺156

-9.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.69 ₺34.55

110.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.24 ₺61.7

143.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.00 ₺49.64

2.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$6.69 ₺333

-44.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.51 ₺75.2

-2.65%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$42.1K ₺2.1M

-36.39%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$38.2K ₺1.9M

-30.22%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$76.7 ₺3,824

25.59%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.57 ₺527

6.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$23.12 ₺1,152

-27.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$52.8 ₺2,632

27.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.06 ₺402

-6.95%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$507 ₺25.3K

-6.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.9K ₺544.1K

3.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$46.20 ₺2,302

34.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$58.9 ₺2,937

-51.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$157 ₺7,812

-39.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$117 ₺5,842

-26.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$420 ₺20.9K

70.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$302 ₺15.1K

62.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$761 ₺37.9K

153.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$573 ₺28.5K

149.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,431 ₺71.3K

191.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,018 ₺50.7K

199.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

38.25

-85.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Side: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Side

$302 26.4% 38.4% $189

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Side

$289 25.3% 8.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Side

$110 9.7% 11.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Side

$171 14.9% 40% $49

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Side

$194 17% 59.6% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Side

$69 6% 16.2% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Side

$9 * 0.8% 87.3% $62

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 $420 in Side. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $30 in Side. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $289, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇷 Side

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

21:38 9:38 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

12,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Side 7,440 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Side

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 Side: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Side is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,717 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: $716 in Phuket versus $420 in Side. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $507 in Side. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Side – a meal for two runs $30 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Side gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 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.