Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Song Be Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Song Be

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $759 in Song Be.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,167 in Song Be.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $1,576 in Song Be.

Living in Phuket is roughly 62% more expensive than Song Be, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Song Be 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$1.96 ₫51.4K

136.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$23.16 ₫607.7K

102.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$4.67 ₫122.6K

89.29%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$1.70 ₫44.6K

76.47%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.48 ₫12.5K

54.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.28 ₫7,327

32.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$1.04 ₫27.2K

134.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$1.54 ₫40.5K

134.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$1.48 ₫38.8K

52.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$1.03 ₫27.0K

78.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$0.99 ₫26.1K

126.26%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$1.43 ₫37.4K

62.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$11.66 ₫305.8K

68.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$3.54 ₫93.0K

3.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$10.41 ₫273.0K

25.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$2.64 ₫69.3K

28.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$1.14 ₫29.9K

43.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$1.36 ₫35.6K

77.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$1.13 ₫29.6K

79.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$1.16 ₫30.4K

34.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.22 ₫32.0K

22.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$0.70 ₫18.4K

45.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$0.51 ₫13.5K

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$1.27 ₫33.3K

250.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$12.92 ₫338.9K

46.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.90 ₫23.5K

97.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$1.42 ₫37.4K

93.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

$0.32 ₫8,314

337.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

$6.57 ₫172.5K

74.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$0.66 ₫17.3K

372.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$0.68 ₫17.7K

47.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$3.03 ₫79.4K

365.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$0.89 ₫23.4K

51.69%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$37.5K ₫984.6M

-27.57%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$33.7K ₫883.8M

-2.27%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$85.1 ₫2.2M

46.95%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$5.76 ₫151.2K

135.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$9.29 ₫243.6K

99.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

$21.23 ₫556.9K

189.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

$7.70 ₫202.1K

118.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$4.30 ₫112.8K

113.72%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$277 ₫7.3M

152.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$14.0K ₫367.9M

11.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$42.74 ₫1.1M

35.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$27.06 ₫709.9K

30.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$98.0 ₫2.6M

15.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$86.0 ₫2.3M

0.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$363 ₫9.5M

69.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$253 ₫6.6M

76.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$679 ₫17.8M

201.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$472 ₫12.4M

215.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

$3,435 ₫90.1M

10.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

$1,280 ₫33.6M

106.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

9.14

-41.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Song Be: April 28, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $363 in Song Be. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $23.00 in Song Be for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $198 per month, with Song Be 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 Song Be: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Song Be is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 62% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $1,138 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: $616 in Phuket versus $363 in Song Be. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $277 in Song Be. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $759 in Song Be versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $2,000 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.

For families, Song Be 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 Song Be 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 Song Be gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.