Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Thimphu

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $522 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
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Thimphu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Thimphu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $522 in Thimphu.

Phuket $1,278
Thimphu $522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $811 in Thimphu.

Phuket $2,216
Thimphu $811

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,100 in Thimphu.

Phuket $3,154
Thimphu $1,100

Living in Phuket is roughly 145% more expensive than in Thimphu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$2.65 BTN 252

68.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$14.45 BTN 1,373

124.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$4.94 BTN 469

78.34%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.27 BTN 121

122.83%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$0.53 BTN 50.3

64.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.17 BTN 16.04

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.68 BTN 255

-4.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.55 BTN 148

137.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.77 BTN 73.4

115.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.12 BTN 106

30.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.03 BTN 97.5

45.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.95 BTN 185

7.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$3.74 BTN 355

409.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.96 BTN 377

-16.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$3.89 BTN 370

180.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.52 BTN 240

16.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.51 BTN 143

11.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.64 BTN 156

37.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.76 BTN 72.7

173.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.57 BTN 54.0

164.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$0.71 BTN 67.5

94.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.38 BTN 35.86

181.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.31 BTN 29.89

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.97 BTN 377

5.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$2.80 BTN 266

571.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.62 BTN 59.0

193.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.41 BTN 134

101.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$0.80 BTN 76.2

81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$5.27 BTN 501

975.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.77 BTN 73.6

292.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.56 BTN 148

-34.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$0.14 BTN 13.64

2535.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$0.78 BTN 74.4

88.46%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

59.75%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$15.5K BTN 1.5M

72.47%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$34.15 BTN 3,246

182.14%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$35.64 BTN 3,387

-68.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$24.15 BTN 2,296

-30.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$48.23 BTN 4,584

39.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$7.53 BTN 716

42.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.13 BTN 298

139.62%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$45.45 BTN 4,320

947.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$579 BTN 55.1K

1844.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$50.1 BTN 4,760

24.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$25.28 BTN 2,403

12.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$68.2 BTN 6,480

38.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$14.25 BTN 1,355

502.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$128 BTN 12.2K

457.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$88.9 BTN 8,450

452.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$191 BTN 18.1K

911.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$155 BTN 14.8K

821.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$6,737 BTN 640.4K

-38.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$399 BTN 37.9K

663.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$348 BTN 33.1K

44.44%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Thimphu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Thimphu

$89 17.1% 81.9% $402

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Thimphu

$126 24.1% 52.9% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Thimphu

$94 18% 24.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Thimphu

$71 13.6% 41.8% $51

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Thimphu

$71 13.5% 42% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Thimphu

$55 10.5% 33.7% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Thimphu

$17 3.3% 75.8% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $128 in Thimphu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 44% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $14 in Thimphu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $126 per month, with Thimphu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🕒 Local time

09:22 9:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

1 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

98,676 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.52 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 95.05 BTN (100 BTN = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.42 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Thimphu 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Thimphu

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 Thimphu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thimphu is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $128 in Thimphu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $45 in Thimphu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 112% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $522 in Thimphu versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Thimphu but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Thimphu 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 Thimphu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Thimphu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.