Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Siem Reap Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Siem Reap

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $805 in Siem Reap.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,054 in Phuket versus $1,259 in Siem Reap.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,876 in Phuket versus $1,713 in Siem Reap.

Living in Phuket is roughly 53% more expensive than in Siem Reap, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 10% lower, Siem Reap 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 ฿147

$2.47 ៛9,989

78.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,077

$24.31 ៛98.4K

32.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.93 ฿298

$8.19 ៛33.2K

9.04%

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿96.6

$1.68 ៛6,801

72.62%

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

$0.88 ฿29.38

$0.72 ៛2,916

22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.06

$0.42 ៛1,697

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 ฿78.5

$0.97 ៛3,931

142.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿124

$2.03 ៛8,206

83.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ฿62.3

$2.25 ៛9,096

-16.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.94

$1.75 ៛7,070

-16.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 ฿51.8

$1.04 ៛4,192

49.04%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.1

$1.74 ៛7,042

20.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.59 ฿654

$14.28 ៛57.8K

37.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ฿114

$2.63 ៛10.7K

30.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 ฿380

$9.98 ៛40.4K

14.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 ฿99.6

$4.28 ៛17.3K

-30.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.2

$1.28 ៛5,199

31.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.7

$3.82 ៛15.5K

-42.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.1

$1.05 ៛4,239

105.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$1.29 ៛5,209

17.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.67

$1.12 ៛4,533

19.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 ฿37.67

$1.30 ៛5,253

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.78 ៛3,149

-29.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.46 ៛5,903

191.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.09 ฿637

$7.51 ៛30.4K

154.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.4

$0.99 ៛4,000

79.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$2.32 ៛9,410

19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ฿74.4

$0.98 ៛3,961

127.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.74 ฿759

$14.87 ៛60.2K

52.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ฿101

$1.96 ៛7,927

54.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.15

$1.02 ៛4,136

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.89 ฿130

$4.92 ៛19.9K

-20.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.77

$1.31 ៛5,288

13.74%

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

$26.6K ฿887.3K

$25.0K ៛101.2M

6.34%

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

$27.0K ฿902.2K

$22.8K ៛92.2M

18.66%

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

$102 ฿3,420

$108 ៛437.7K

-5.23%

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

$11.33 ฿378

$6.03 ៛24.4K

87.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.40 ฿581

$14.72 ៛59.6K

18.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ฿1,738

$35.06 ៛141.9K

48.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿370

$14.14 ៛57.2K

-21.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$4.88 ៛19.8K

57.58%

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

$561 ฿18.7K

$282 ៛1.1M

98.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿384.1K

$4,441 ៛18.0M

159.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 ฿2,104

$26.71 ៛108.1K

135.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 ฿986

$13.10 ៛53.0K

125.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,272

$69.7 ៛282.1K

40.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 ฿2,954

$44.89 ៛181.7K

97.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿24.6K

$330 ៛1.3M

123.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.1K

$232 ៛939.3K

107.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 ฿70.3K

$684 ៛2.8M

207.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,226 ฿40.9K

$442 ៛1.8M

177.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,617 ฿120.7K

$2,460 ៛10.0M

47.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,603 ฿86.9K

$1,067 ៛4.3M

144.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$494 ฿16.5K

$237 ៛958.3K

108.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.2

-39.46%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 15, 2026

Last update for Siem Reap: September 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $738 in Phuket and $330 in Siem Reap. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 108% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $24.00 in Siem Reap for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $274 vs $232 per month, with Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Siem Reap is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 108% 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: $738 in Phuket versus $330 in Siem Reap. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $561 in Phuket versus $282 in Siem Reap. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $805 in Siem Reap versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Siem Reap but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Siem Reap the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.