Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Surat Thani

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $775 in Surat Thani.

Phuket $1,208
Surat Thani $775

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,414 in Surat Thani.

Phuket $2,027
Surat Thani $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,053 in Surat Thani.

Phuket $2,845
Surat Thani $2,053

Living in Phuket is roughly 56% more expensive than in Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Surat Thani 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$1.89 ฿63.0

132.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$17.87 ฿597

80.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.51 ฿151

94.24%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.50 ฿50.2

88.67%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.50 ฿16.68

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.29 ฿9.66

62.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.56 ฿85.4

-0.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.69 ฿123

3.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.66 ฿55.4

4.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.19 ฿39.89

23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.17 ฿39.13

29.06%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.87 ฿62.4

16.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$19.18 ฿641

2.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$3.33 ฿111

0.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$7.44 ฿249

50.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.91 ฿97.2

-2.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.68 ฿56.3

1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.76 ฿58.7

24.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.30 ฿43.57

11.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.37 ฿45.90

0.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.11 ฿37.24

-3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.41 ฿13.66

24.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.07 ฿103

38.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$18.86 ฿630

-1.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.54 ฿51.6

15.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.82 ฿60.7

56.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.02 ฿34.00

121.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$20.95 ฿700

5.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.18 ฿39.50

155.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.63 ฿21.05

68.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$3.49 ฿117

10.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.16 ฿38.93

25.00%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$26.6K ฿890.1K

-1.14%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$27.3K ฿911.7K

-1.23%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$72.9 ฿2,437

32.17%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$11.12 ฿372

-0.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$17.32 ฿579

-1.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$48.24 ฿1,612

8.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.52 ฿385

-3.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.53 ฿151

72.41%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$549 ฿18.3K

1.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$11.6K ฿386.5K

0.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$61.9 ฿2,070

3.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$29.16 ฿974

-1.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$97.3 ฿3,252

-1.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$86.5 ฿2,892

1.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$237 ฿7,910

211.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$149 ฿4,985

209.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,150 ฿38.4K

82.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$709 ฿23.7K

69.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,226 ฿74.4K

56.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,404 ฿46.9K

79.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 67.7% $313

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 9.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 18.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 0.5% $0.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 42.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 15.5% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 25.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $237 in Surat Thani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Surat Thani for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $244 per month, with Surat Thani cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

132,040

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Phuket Surat Thani 170 km

From you

Phuket
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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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Surat Thani is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 56% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,163 in Surat Thani 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: $737 in Phuket versus $237 in Surat Thani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $549 in Surat Thani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $775 in Surat Thani versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Surat Thani but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Surat Thani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.