Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Song Be

For one person, living is cheaper in Song Be: $837 a month against $1,294 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Song Be
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Song Be Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Song Be

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Song Be

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $837 in Song Be.

Phuket $1,294
Song Be $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,349 in Song Be.

Phuket $2,204
Song Be $1,349

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,861 in Song Be.

Phuket $3,115
Song Be $1,861

Living in Phuket is roughly 54% more expensive than in Song Be, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Song Be 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$2.13 ₫54.7K

106.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$23.47 ₫604.5K

37.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$4.64 ₫119.5K

87.50%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$1.80 ₫46.3K

51.11%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.52 ₫13.3K

78.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$0.34 ₫8,820

47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$1.04 ₫26.7K

143.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.61 ₫41.4K

125.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.60 ₫41.1K

8.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.18 ₫30.4K

22.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.04 ₫26.7K

44.23%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$1.69 ₫43.5K

28.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$12.12 ₫312.0K

57.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$3.58 ₫92.1K

-5.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$10.06 ₫259.1K

8.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$3.05 ₫78.6K

-3.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.23 ₫31.7K

37.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.50 ₫38.5K

46.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$1.26 ₫32.5K

68.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$1.18 ₫30.4K

23.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.16 ₫29.8K

18.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$0.74 ₫19.2K

45.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.55 ₫14.2K

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$1.21 ₫31.2K

266.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$11.75 ₫302.5K

55.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.02 ₫26.2K

73.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$1.47 ₫37.9K

95.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$0.31 ₫7,933

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$7.04 ₫181.3K

679.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.80 ₫20.5K

88.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$0.66 ₫17.1K

18.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$3.02 ₫77.6K

27.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$0.91 ₫23.4K

63.74%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$31.5K ₫810.5M

-14.59%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$29.8K ₫768.4M

-11.71%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$100 ₫2.6M

-2.37%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$5.85 ₫150.7K

92.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$10.25 ₫264.0K

67.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$20.52 ₫528.3K

232.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$8.37 ₫215.5K

30.47%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$3.86 ₫99.3K

92.49%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$534 ₫13.7M

-0.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$27.0K ₫695.6M

-30.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$51.9 ₫1.3M

18.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$35.03 ₫902.0K

-19.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$95.2 ₫2.5M

0.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$94.7 ₫2.4M

-8.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$389 ₫10.0M

85.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$286 ₫7.4M

77.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$703 ₫18.1M

177.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$658 ₫16.9M

112.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$2,583 ₫66.5M

62.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$1,506 ₫38.8M

118.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.64

-35.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Song Be: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Song Be

$286 34.2% 43.7% $222

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Song Be

$205 24.5% 23.2% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Song Be

$116 13.9% 7.9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Song Be

$125 14.9% 1.5% $1.9

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Song Be

$64 7.7% 46.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Song Be

$28 3.4% 66.1% $55

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Song Be

$12 1.5% 81.3% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $389 in Song Be. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $23 in Song Be for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $205 per month, with Song Be cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Song Be

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,797 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Song Be 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Song Be

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 Song Be: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Song Be is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $1,256 in Song Be 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: $721 in Phuket versus $389 in Song Be. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $534 in Song Be. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $837 in Song Be versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Song Be but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Song Be the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Song Be 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.