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: $1,265 in Phuket versus $720 in Siem Reap.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $1,073 in Siem Reap.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,426 in Siem Reap.

Living in Phuket is roughly 76% more expensive than Siem Reap, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Siem Reap 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿153

$2.54 ៛10.2K

85.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,482

$24.11 ៛96.9K

88.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿275

$6.92 ៛27.8K

21.82%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.6

$1.67 ៛6,719

75.45%

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

$0.69 ฿22.40

$0.69 ៛2,768

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.99

$0.51 ៛2,059

-27.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$0.98 ៛3,937

145.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$1.93 ៛7,744

92.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿72.9

$1.81 ៛7,271

23.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.8

$1.38 ៛5,546

32.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.8

$1.03 ៛4,151

110.68%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.3

$1.62 ៛6,496

36.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$13.00 ៛52.3K

51.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$3.64 ៛14.6K

-0.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$10.42 ៛41.9K

29.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$3.65 ៛14.7K

-10.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.6

$1.07 ៛4,315

50.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$3.43 ៛13.8K

-29.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.31 ៛5,277

58.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.93

$1.24 ៛4,984

23.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.36

$0.95 ៛3,820

55.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.29

$1.36 ៛5,471

-27.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.67

$0.67 ៛2,681

-23.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$1.91 ៛7,662

130.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿633

$7.46 ៛30.0K

159.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.73 ៛2,934

143.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.6

$1.68 ៛6,740

61.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.79

$1.01 ៛4,066

35.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.6

$1.03 ៛4,159

193.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.48

$0.98 ៛3,954

1.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$4.60 ៛18.5K

206.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.51

$1.08 ៛4,326

25.93%

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

$28.2K ฿921.1K

$49.0K ៛196.9M

-42.42%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$37.0K ៛148.6M

-10.96%

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

$122 ฿3,975

$73.1 ៛294.0K

66.46%

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

$13.57 ฿443

$6.13 ៛24.7K

121.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿598

$19.40 ៛78.0K

-5.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,967

$36.31 ៛146.0K

65.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$3.52 ៛14.2K

386.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$4.46 ៛17.9K

94.84%

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

$693 ฿22.6K

$375 ៛1.5M

84.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.3K

$4,917 ៛19.8M

219.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,944

$22.56 ៛90.7K

163.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,136

$18.51 ៛74.4K

87.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,743

$54.1 ៛217.6K

111.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,720

$36.22 ៛145.6K

129.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$315 ៛1.3M

94.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$216 ៛868.5K

102.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.4K

$497 ៛2.0M

321.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$319 ៛1.3M

372.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

$2,470 ៛9.9M

51.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

$1,106 ៛4.4M

136.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

$239 ៛959.9K

112.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

9.2

-42.07%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Siem Reap: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $315 in Siem Reap. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 113% 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: $45.00 in Phuket vs $24.00 in Siem Reap for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $217 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, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 76% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Phuket pays 113% more on average, 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: $613 in Phuket versus $315 in Siem Reap. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $375 in Siem Reap. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Siem Reap – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $45.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $720 in Siem Reap versus $1,265 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 76% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.