Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tongi Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tongi

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,250 in Phuket versus $316 in Tongi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,284 in Phuket versus $516 in Tongi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,317 in Phuket versus $716 in Tongi.

Living in Phuket is roughly 296% more expensive than in Tongi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tongi 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.55 ฿153

$1.68 ৳208

170.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.18 ฿1,553

$9.56 ৳1,178

383.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿297

$4.85 ৳598

82.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 ৳494

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.75 ৳586

Cappuccino

$3.06 ฿103

$1.49 ৳184

105.37%

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

$0.73 ฿24.40

$0.31 ৳38.79

135.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ฿13.39

$0.18 ৳21.78

122.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 ฿81.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.78 ฿127

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿76.0

$0.67 ৳82.1

237.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.60 ৳74.5

201.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.58 ৳71.5

287.93%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$1.22 ৳151

84.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ฿656

$7.00 ৳864

178.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿123

$2.53 ৳312

44.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ฿439

$5.36 ৳661

143.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ฿109

$2.21 ৳272

46.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$0.96 ৳118

68.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$2.09 ৳257

13.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿68.1

$0.62 ৳77.0

227.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.6

$0.26 ৳31.67

488.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.37 ৳46.22

305.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 ฿32.91

$0.33 ৳40.62

196.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.28 ৳34.87

85.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.20 ৳1,135

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ৳277

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 ৳611

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿149

$2.85 ৳351

55.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.32 ฿616

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ฿90.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 ฿47.46

$0.20 ৳24.60

605.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.70 ฿393

$10.24 ৳1,262

14.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 ฿105

$0.84 ৳104

270.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿35.06

$0.40 ৳49.00

160.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.11 ฿474

$2.07 ৳255

581.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ฿44.10

$1.05 ৳129

24.76%

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

$27.8K ฿935.4K

$28.4K ৳3.5M

-1.92%

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

$33.2K ฿1.1M

$28.5K ৳3.5M

16.35%

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

$122 ฿4,118

$30.01 ৳3,700

308.00%

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

$13.59 ฿457

$4.76 ৳587

185.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.70 ฿629

$9.05 ৳1,116

106.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 ฿2,034

$13.45 ৳1,658

349.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 ฿571

$11.59 ৳1,429

46.51%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 ฿305

$4.11 ৳507

120.68%

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

$706 ฿23.8K

$26.97 ৳3,325

2519.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K ฿531.5K

$951 ৳117.3K

1561.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 ฿1,969

$15.84 ৳1,953

269.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.36 ฿1,189

$17.93 ৳2,210

97.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,883

$32.78 ৳4,041

252.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.7 ฿2,816

$36.38 ৳4,485

130.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 ฿21.0K

$70.9 ৳8,747

781.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ฿15.0K

$42.52 ৳5,242

946.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 ฿68.6K

$164 ৳20.2K

1145.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿50.2K

$98.9 ৳12.2K

1409.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,483 ฿117.1K

$644 ৳79.4K

440.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,577 ฿86.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$500 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

10.29

-48.20%

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

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Last update for Tongi: July 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Phuket and $70.9 in Tongi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Phuket vs $10.00 in Tongi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $289 vs $104 per month, with Tongi cheaper across the board.

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 Tongi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tongi is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 296% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,875 in Phuket and $473 in Tongi 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: $626 in Phuket versus $70.9 in Tongi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $706 in Phuket versus $26.97 in Tongi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 178% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $316 in Tongi versus $1,250 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tongi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tongi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tongi 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 Tongi 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 Tongi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 296% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.