Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tlokweng

For one person, living is cheaper in Tlokweng: $570 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Tlokweng
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Tlokweng Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tlokweng

🇧🇼 Botswana

$570

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tlokweng

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $570 in Tlokweng.

Phuket $1,278
Tlokweng $570

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $916 in Tlokweng.

Phuket $2,216
Tlokweng $916

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,263 in Tlokweng.

Phuket $3,154
Tlokweng $1,263

Living in Phuket is roughly 124% more expensive than in Tlokweng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tlokweng 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.74 P 145

-58.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$28.83 P 389

12.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.88 P 79.4

49.83%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.30 P 31.06

23.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.75 P 10.10

16.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.40 P 5.39

22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.03 P 27.43

26.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.52 P 34.00

46.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.54 P 20.81

7.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.88 P 11.85

65.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.80 P 24.30

-16.67%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.46 P 33.20

-15.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$6.16 P 83.1

209.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.63 P 62.4

-28.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$5.21 P 70.4

109.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.59 P 21.48

84.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.41 P 18.96

19.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.07 P 27.97

8.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.68 P 22.61

23.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.35 P 18.21

11.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.19 P 16.06

15.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.30 P 17.53

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.95 P 12.83

-45.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.60 P 48.54

16.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.28 P 57.8

339.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.46 P 19.66

24.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.73 P 23.39

64.16%

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

$0.64 P 8.70

371.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.48 P 33.48

-58.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.98 P 40.21

23.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.39 P 18.77

5.76%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$30.0K P 404.7K

-10.73%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$20.4K P 274.9K

30.98%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$60.3 P 814

59.68%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.73 P 253

-39.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$43.33 P 585

-61.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.14 P 82.8

22.15%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$125 P 1,685

280.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$2,511 P 33.9K

348.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$46.79 P 631

33.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$16.53 P 223

71.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$72.9 P 983

29.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$79.2 P 1,069

8.28%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.33

-50.84%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tlokweng: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tlokweng

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tlokweng

$174 30.5% 34.7% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tlokweng

$122 21.5% 1.7% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tlokweng

$97 17% 20.5% $25

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tlokweng

$151 26.5% 24.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tlokweng

$12 * 2.2% 85.1% $70

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tlokweng

$13 * 2.3% 81.5% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $29 in Tlokweng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $174 per month, with Tlokweng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇼 Tlokweng

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

00:07 12:07 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

35,982

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Botswana Pula BWP P

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 BWP = 7.41 USD

100 BWP = 6.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BWP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

Botswana Pula exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 13.49 BWP (100 BWP = 7.41 USD). 1 EUR = 15.02 BWP (100 BWP = 6.66 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tlokweng 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tlokweng

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 Tlokweng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tlokweng is about 55% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $854 in Tlokweng 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 $476 in Phuket versus $125 in Tlokweng. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tlokweng – a meal for two runs $29 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $570 in Tlokweng versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tlokweng but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tlokweng 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 Tlokweng are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.