Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tak

For one person, living is cheaper in Tak: $938 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Tak
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Tak Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Tak

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $938 in Tak.

Phuket $1,208
Tak $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,488 in Tak.

Phuket $2,027
Tak $1,488

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,039 in Tak.

Phuket $2,845
Tak $2,039

Living in Phuket is roughly 29% more expensive than in Tak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Tak 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$3.38 ฿113

30.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$21.54 ฿720

49.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$7.23 ฿242

21.16%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.74 ฿58.1

62.64%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.60 ฿20.07

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.33 ฿10.93

42.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.91 ฿63.8

33.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.08 ฿103

24.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.57 ฿52.6

10.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.34 ฿44.76

9.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.33 ฿44.41

13.53%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.16 ฿72.3

0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$16.40 ฿548

20.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.90 ฿96.8

15.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.41 ฿381

-2.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.91 ฿97.4

-2.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.03 ฿34.47

65.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.26 ฿75.6

-3.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.21 ฿73.9

-7.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.49 ฿49.69

-2.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.06 ฿35.59

30.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.15 ฿38.47

-6.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.53 ฿17.70

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.47 ฿149

-4.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$16.78 ฿561

10.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.62 ฿54.3

9.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.99 ฿100

-4.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.81 ฿27.11

179.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.35 ฿45.00

122.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.18 ฿39.33

-10.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$5.56 ฿186

-30.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.51 ฿50.4

-3.97%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$26.3K ฿877.5K

0.27%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$26.0K ฿870.1K

3.49%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$85.9 ฿2,869

12.27%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$12.38 ฿414

-10.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$20.05 ฿670

-14.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$41.87 ฿1,399

24.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.06 ฿470

-20.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.92 ฿198

31.93%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$595 ฿19.9K

-6.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$11.2K ฿373.1K

3.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$43.91 ฿1,467

46.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$30.26 ฿1,011

-5.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$80.4 ฿2,686

18.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$79.2 ฿2,647

11.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$416 ฿13.9K

76.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$314 ฿10.5K

47.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,208 ฿40.4K

73.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$692 ฿23.1K

73.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,060 ฿68.8K

69.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,359 ฿45.4K

85.64%

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 Tak: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Tak

$314 33.5% 32.1% $148

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Tak

$247 26.4% 8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Tak

$118 12.6% 5% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Tak

$105 11.2% 15.4% $19

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Tak

$89 9.5% 26.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Tak

$54 5.7% 20.8% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Tak

$10 * 1.1% 73.4% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $416 in Tak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $22.00 in Tak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $247 per month, with Tak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Tak

🕒 Local time

22:34 10:34 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

19,900

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tak 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tak

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 Tak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tak is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,407 in Tak 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 $416 in Tak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $595 in Tak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tak – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Tak versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tak but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tak 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 Tak 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 Tak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.