Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sihanoukville Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sihanoukville

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $924 in Sihanoukville.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $1,382 in Sihanoukville.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $1,839 in Sihanoukville.

Living in Phuket is roughly 35% more expensive than in Sihanoukville, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Sihanoukville 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$4.04 ៛16.3K

12.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,554

$28.03 ៛113.0K

64.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿298

$7.13 ៛28.7K

23.98%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$2.51 ៛10.1K

21.91%

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

$0.73 ฿24.42

$0.84 ៛3,390

-13.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.40

$0.40 ៛1,614

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

$1.01 ៛4,080

140.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

$1.98 ៛7,990

90.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$2.08 ៛8,390

8.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$1.53 ៛6,164

18.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.93 ៛3,734

141.94%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.6

$1.77 ៛7,152

27.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$12.87 ៛51.9K

51.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$4.05 ៛16.3K

-9.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$8.80 ៛35.5K

48.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$3.44 ៛13.9K

-6.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.44 ៛5,803

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.2

$3.81 ៛15.4K

-37.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.2

$1.46 ៛5,887

39.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$1.30 ៛5,225

17.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.20 ៛4,831

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.93

$1.46 ៛5,869

-32.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.40

$0.71 ៛2,873

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$1.52 ៛6,139

192.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

$10.80 ៛43.5K

69.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

$0.93 ៛3,730

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.2

$1.69 ៛6,821

58.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿394

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$1.07 ៛4,316

190.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.08

$0.99 ៛3,977

5.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿475

$4.63 ៛18.7K

204.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.13

$1.17 ៛4,724

11.97%

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

$27.8K ฿936.0K

$49.1K ៛198.0M

-43.37%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$37.6K ៛151.5M

-11.59%

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

$122 ฿4,120

$107 ៛432.4K

14.16%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$6.36 ៛25.6K

113.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$18.93 ៛76.3K

-1.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,035

$72.9 ៛294.0K

-17.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿572

$10.11 ៛40.7K

67.95%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$4.55 ៛18.3K

99.34%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$332 ៛1.3M

112.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.8K

$5,131 ៛20.7M

208.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,970

$21.85 ៛88.1K

167.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,190

$19.83 ៛79.9K

78.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,885

$91.7 ៛369.7K

25.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,818

$20.14 ៛81.2K

315.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.1K

$394 ៛1.6M

58.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$301 ៛1.2M

48.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.7K

$657 ៛2.7M

210.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$493 ៛2.0M

202.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

10.3

-48.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Sihanoukville: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $394 in Sihanoukville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $28.00 in Sihanoukville for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $231 per month, with Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sihanoukville is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,875 in Phuket and $1,386 in Sihanoukville 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: $626 in Phuket versus $394 in Sihanoukville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $332 in Sihanoukville. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sihanoukville – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $46.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $924 in Sihanoukville versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sihanoukville but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sihanoukville the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville 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 Sihanoukville gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.