Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Siem Reap

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $818 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Siem Reap
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Siem Reap Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Siem Reap

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Siem Reap

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $818 in Siem Reap.

Phuket $1,278
Siem Reap $818

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,338 in Siem Reap.

Phuket $2,216
Siem Reap $1,338

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,858 in Siem Reap.

Phuket $3,154
Siem Reap $1,858

Living in Phuket is roughly 56% more expensive than in Siem Reap, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Siem Reap 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.51 ៛10.2K

78.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$23.83 ៛97.1K

36.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.06 ៛32.8K

9.31%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.67 ៛6,786

69.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.71 ៛2,888

22.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.40 ៛1,625

22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.03 ៛4,188

148.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.98 ៛8,075

85.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.18 ៛8,872

-23.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.74 ៛7,075

-16.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.94 ៛3,822

59.57%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.75 ៛7,117

19.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$15.24 ៛62.1K

25.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.95 ៛12.0K

11.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.07 ៛41.0K

8.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.23 ៛17.2K

-30.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.28 ៛5,225

32.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.83 ៛15.6K

-41.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.05 ៛4,282

98.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.32 ៛5,375

14.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.11 ៛4,527

24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.29 ៛5,262

-17.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.80 ៛3,241

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.42 ៛5,770

195.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.11 ៛33.0K

131.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.00 ៛4,068

82.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.32 ៛9,446

22.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.03 ៛4,176

40.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$15.11 ៛61.6K

274.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.01 ៛8,207

50.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.01 ៛4,132

0.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.08 ៛20.7K

-27.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.24 ៛5,063

18.55%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$24.7K ៛100.6M

8.44%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$22.7K ៛92.4M

17.63%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$101 ៛410.6K

-4.41%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.53 ៛22.5K

103.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$15.38 ៛62.6K

9.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$33.19 ៛135.2K

102.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.75 ៛56.0K

-21.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.14 ៛20.9K

45.91%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$286 ៛1.2M

66.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$4,379 ៛17.8M

157.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$26.54 ៛108.1K

134.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$13.43 ៛54.7K

111.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$67.5 ៛274.7K

39.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$44.82 ៛182.6K

91.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$337 ៛1.4M

112.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$244 ៛992.7K

101.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$685 ៛2.8M

181.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$603 ៛2.5M

137.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,492 ៛10.2M

67.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,074 ៛4.4M

183.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$234 ៛952.5K

114.80%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Siem Reap: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Siem Reap

$244 29.8% 50.4% $247

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Siem Reap

$237 28.9% 11.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Siem Reap

$122 14.9% 2.2% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Siem Reap

$69 8.4% 43.8% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Siem Reap

$78 9.5% 36.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Siem Reap

$43 5.3% 47.1% $39

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Siem Reap

$26 3.2% 62.7% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $337 in Siem Reap. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $24 in Siem Reap for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $237 per month, with Siem Reap cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇰🇭 Siem Reap

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

171,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,548 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Siem Reap 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Siem Reap

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 Siem Reap: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Siem Reap is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.1 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 $337 in Siem Reap. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $286 in Siem Reap. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Siem Reap is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Siem Reap gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.