Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Songkhla

For one person, living is cheaper in Songkhla: $837 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Songkhla
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Songkhla Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Songkhla

🇹🇭 Thailand

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Songkhla

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $837 in Songkhla.

Phuket $1,278
Songkhla $837

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,340 in Songkhla.

Phuket $2,216
Songkhla $1,340

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,844 in Songkhla.

Phuket $3,154
Songkhla $1,844

Living in Phuket is roughly 53% more expensive than in Songkhla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Songkhla 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.76 ฿59.5

153.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$24.63 ฿832

31.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.69 ฿158

87.85%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.63 ฿54.9

73.62%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.67 ฿22.66

29.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.25 ฿8.48

96.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.75 ฿59.0

46.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.76 ฿161

-22.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.59 ฿53.8

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.85 ฿28.85

71.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.64 ฿55.4

-8.54%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.38 ฿46.68

51.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$16.82 ฿568

13.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.69 ฿90.8

22.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.44 ฿353

4.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.86 ฿96.5

2.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.67 ฿56.4

1.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.21 ฿74.5

1.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.26 ฿42.40

65.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.47 ฿49.76

2.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.70 ฿57.6

-18.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.11 ฿37.47

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.91 ฿30.57

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.25 ฿144

-1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.46 ฿454

39.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.55 ฿52.4

17.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$4.59 ฿155

-38.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.86 ฿28.94

68.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$60.7 ฿2,049

-6.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.21 ฿40.85

149.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.76 ฿25.56

34.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.84 ฿197

-36.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.21 ฿41.00

21.49%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$26.3K ฿889.5K

1.66%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$31.3K ฿1.1M

-14.77%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$85.3 ฿2,879

13.01%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.64 ฿427

-10.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$18.03 ฿609

-6.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$48.35 ฿1,633

39.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.08 ฿442

-17.97%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$5.91 ฿200

26.90%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$571 ฿19.3K

-16.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$11.0K ฿372.9K

2.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$51.7 ฿1,745

20.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$29.14 ฿984

-2.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$76.7 ฿2,591

22.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$77.2 ฿2,607

11.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$239 ฿8,059

199.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$178 ฿6,021

175.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$592 ฿20.0K

225.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$412 ฿13.9K

247.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,933 ฿65.3K

116.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,456 ฿49.2K

109.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$801 ฿27.1K

-37.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.33

-40.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Songkhla: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Songkhla

$178 21.3% 63.7% $313

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Songkhla

$238 28.5% 10.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Songkhla

$116 13.9% 6.9% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Songkhla

$106 12.6% 13.3% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Songkhla

$70 8.3% 42.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Songkhla

$60 7.2% 26.8% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Songkhla

$69 8.3% 2.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $239 in Songkhla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Songkhla pays 60% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Songkhla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $238 per month, with Songkhla cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Songkhla

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

61,758

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Phuket Songkhla 250 km

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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 Songkhla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $239 in Songkhla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $571 in Songkhla. 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.

At $837 in Songkhla versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Songkhla but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Songkhla 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 Songkhla are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.