Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ta Khmau Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ta Khmau

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,265 in Phuket versus $456 in Ta Khmau.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $743 in Ta Khmau.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $1,031 in Ta Khmau.

Living in Phuket is roughly 177% more expensive than Ta Khmau, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ta Khmau 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿153

$2.47 ៛9,923

90.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,482

$24.09 ៛96.9K

88.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿275

$7.19 ៛28.9K

17.25%

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.6

$1.62 ៛6,499

80.86%

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

$0.69 ฿22.40

$0.73 ៛2,944

-5.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.99

$0.48 ៛1,928

-22.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$0.98 ៛3,921

145.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

$1.92 ៛7,723

93.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿72.9

$1.82 ៛7,318

22.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.8

$1.37 ៛5,526

33.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.8

$0.96 ៛3,855

126.04%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.3

$1.64 ៛6,581

34.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$13.07 ៛52.5K

51.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$3.60 ៛14.5K

0.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$10.32 ៛41.5K

31.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$3.57 ៛14.4K

-8.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.6

$1.13 ៛4,548

42.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.6

$3.38 ៛13.6K

-28.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$1.32 ៛5,293

57.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.93

$1.30 ៛5,246

17.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.36

$0.89 ៛3,582

66.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.29

$1.36 ៛5,488

-27.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.67

$0.68 ៛2,721

-25.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$1.83 ៛7,358

140.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿633

$7.49 ៛30.1K

158.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$0.80 ៛3,198

122.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.6

$1.69 ៛6,778

60.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.6

$1.07 ៛4,313

182.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.48

$0.97 ៛3,902

2.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$4.48 ៛18.0K

214.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.51

$1.12 ៛4,490

21.43%

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

$28.2K ฿921.1K

$49.4K ៛198.8M

-42.95%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$37.0K ៛148.6M

-10.96%

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

$122 ฿3,975

$74.0 ៛297.3K

64.57%

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

$13.57 ฿443

$6.05 ៛24.3K

124.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿598

$19.89 ៛80.0K

-7.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,967

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$4.45 ៛17.9K

95.28%

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

$693 ฿22.6K

$366 ៛1.5M

89.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.3K

$5,076 ៛20.4M

209.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,944

$22.06 ៛88.7K

169.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,136

$18.39 ៛73.9K

89.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,743

$55.8 ៛224.2K

105.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,720

$36.14 ៛145.3K

130.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

9.2

-42.07%

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

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Last update for Ta Khmau: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $24.00 in Ta Khmau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $217 per month, with Ta Khmau 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 Ta Khmau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ta Khmau is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 177% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $684 in Ta Khmau 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.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $366 in Ta Khmau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ta Khmau – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $45.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $456 in Ta Khmau versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Ta Khmau but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ta Khmau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ta Khmau 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 Ta Khmau 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 Ta Khmau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 177% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.