Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Ta Khmau

For one person, living is cheaper in Ta Khmau: $511 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Ta Khmau, Cambodia
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Ta Khmau
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$511
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Ta Khmau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $511 in Ta Khmau.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Ta Khmau $511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $812 in Ta Khmau.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Ta Khmau $812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,114 in Ta Khmau.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Ta Khmau $1,114

Living in Phuket is roughly 150% more expensive than in Ta Khmau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Ta Khmau 62% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Ta Khmau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$2.55 ៛10.4K
75.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$24.28 ៛99.1K
33.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$6.88 ៛28.1K
28.05%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$1.69 ៛6,883
67.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$0.70 ៛2,872
24.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$0.39 ៛1,598
25.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$1.02 ៛4,163
150.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.02 ៛8,233
82.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Ta Khmau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$2.24 ៛9,137
-25.89%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$1.65 ៛6,734
-11.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$0.88 ៛3,594
70.45%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.75 ៛7,129
19.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$14.60 ៛59.6K
30.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$2.89 ៛11.8K
14.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$9.50 ៛38.8K
14.84%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$4.28 ៛17.5K
-31.54%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$1.23 ៛5,002
37.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$3.69 ៛15.0K
-39.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$1.09 ៛4,435
90.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.29 ៛5,245
17.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$1.13 ៛4,593
22.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$1.30 ៛5,305
-17.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$0.77 ៛3,159
-32.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$1.35 ៛5,493
211.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$8.04 ៛32.8K
133.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$0.96 ៛3,905
89.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$1.79 ៛7,321
58.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Ta Khmau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.08 ៛4,397
179.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$1.03 ៛4,194
-0.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$4.94 ៛20.2K
-25.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$1.26 ៛5,138
16.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$25.2K ៛102.8M
6.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$22.8K ៛93.0M
17.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Ta Khmau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$99.9 ៛407.9K
-3.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$5.71 ៛23.3K
97.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$15.09 ៛61.6K
11.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Ta Khmau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$4.93 ៛20.1K
52.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Ta Khmau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$293 ៛1.2M
62.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$4,377 ៛17.9M
157.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Ta Khmau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$26.29 ៛107.3K
137.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$13.48 ៛55.0K
110.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$68.5 ៛279.3K
37.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$44.57 ៛181.9K
92.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Ta Khmau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Ta Khmau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
7.94
-29.85%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ta Khmau: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Ta Khmau
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Ta Khmau
$230 13.6% $36
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Ta Khmau
$121 3% $3.7
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Ta Khmau
$69 43.6% $53
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Ta Khmau
$75 38.5% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Ta Khmau
$9.9 * 88% $72
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Ta Khmau
$6.2 * 91.2% $64

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $24 in Ta Khmau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $230 per month, with Ta Khmau cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇰🇭 Ta Khmau
🕒 Local time
03:33 3:33 AM
03:33 3:33 AM
Same time as Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
52,066
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,081 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,543 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Ta Khmau 820 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Ta Khmau

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 Ta Khmau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ta Khmau cheaper than Phuket?
Ta Khmau is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $766 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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $293 in Ta Khmau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Ta Khmau?
Dining out is cheaper in Ta Khmau – a meal for two runs $24 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Ta Khmau?
At $511 in Ta Khmau versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 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.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Ta Khmau?
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.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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