Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tonga

For one person, living is cheaper in Tonga: $1,087 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,190
/mo nomad
🇹🇴 Tonga
$1,087
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Phuket is 20.3% cheaper than Tonga without rent, and 9.4% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Phuket is 21.2% cheaper than Tonga without rent, and 4.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Tonga
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.35 ฿146
$8.54 TOP 20.47
-49.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.45 ฿1,087
$63.5 TOP 152
-48.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.42 ฿282
$10.42 TOP 24.98
-19.19%
Cappuccino
$2.81 ฿94.0
$2.95 TOP 7.07
-4.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.29
$2.82 TOP 6.75
-69.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ฿15.39
$2.42 TOP 5.80
-80.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$3.24 TOP 7.76
-20.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 ฿122
$4.94 TOP 11.84
-26.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Tonga
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 ฿57.2
$1.52 TOP 3.64
12.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.42
$1.02 TOP 2.44
42.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.3
$2.12 TOP 5.08
-26.42%
Eggs
$2.10 ฿70.3
$5.01 TOP 12.00
-58.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.53 ฿654
$8.97 TOP 21.49
117.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$5.73 TOP 13.73
-40.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿373
$7.60 TOP 18.22
46.58%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 ฿94.8
$2.71 TOP 6.49
4.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 ฿54.3
$2.76 TOP 6.61
-41.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 ฿74.5
$2.85 TOP 6.83
-22.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.15 ฿71.9
$3.81 TOP 9.14
-43.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 ฿49.95
$3.12 TOP 7.48
-52.24%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.40
$2.65 TOP 6.35
-49.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.72
$2.18 TOP 5.24
-50.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.01
$1.37 TOP 3.27
-62.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 ฿147
$10.09 TOP 24.19
-56.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.77 ฿629
$17.24 TOP 41.33
8.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.3
$3.24 TOP 7.77
-46.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿92.9
$3.38 TOP 8.09
-17.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Tonga
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.17 ฿72.6
$2.05 TOP 4.92
5.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.28 ฿746
$41.49 TOP 99.4
-46.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿101
$2.10 TOP 5.04
43.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.43
$2.07 TOP 4.96
-48.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.71 ฿124
$41.58 TOP 99.7
-91.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 ฿47.88
$1.47 TOP 3.51
-2.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿882.1K
$5,703 TOP 13.7K
361.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K ฿877.3K
$8,292 TOP 19.9K
216.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Tonga
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.7 ฿3,236
$188 TOP 451
-48.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.41 ฿382
$21.78 TOP 52.2
-47.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.11 ฿573
$126 TOP 303
-86.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Tonga
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ฿1,768
$30.90 TOP 74.1
70.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.07 ฿371
$41.51 TOP 99.5
-73.33%
Cinema Ticket
$7.65 ฿256
$41.13 TOP 98.6
-81.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Tonga
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$555 ฿18.6K
$161 TOP 385
244.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿377.7K
$247 TOP 593
4463.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Tonga
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.4 ฿2,123
$14.46 TOP 34.65
338.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.61 ฿958
$17.82 TOP 42.71
60.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.7 ฿3,238
$20.91 TOP 50.1
362.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 ฿2,967
$29.00 TOP 69.5
205.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Tonga
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 ฿24.6K
$630 TOP 1,511
16.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$458 ฿15.3K
$50.8 TOP 122
801.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 ฿70.4K
$842 TOP 2,018
149.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 ฿39.7K
$568 TOP 1,362
108.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,493 ฿116.9K
$421 TOP 1,009
729.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,491 ฿83.4K
$251 TOP 602
891.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Tonga
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.8K
$678 TOP 1,625
-26.12%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
0
-

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tonga: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$458
Tonga
$51 88.9% $407
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Tonga
$290 8.2% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
Tonga
$336 169% $211
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$125
Tonga
$37 70.4% $88
Eating Out
Phuket
$119
Tonga
$182 52.6% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
Tonga
$113 66.2% $45
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Tonga
$62 58.3% $23
Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇹🇴 Tonga
🕒 Local time
12:24 12:24 PM
18:24 6:24 PM
6 h ahead of Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
108,020
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

TOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.4 TOP (1 TOP = 0.417 USD). 1 EUR = 2.69 TOP (1 TOP = 0.372 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Tonga 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Tonga

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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