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: $1,265 in Phuket versus $327 in Tongi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,089 in Phuket versus $538 in Tongi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,913 in Phuket versus $748 in Tongi.

Living in Phuket is roughly 287% more expensive than in Tongi, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Tongi 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿154

$2.05 ৳252

127.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.22 ฿1,065

$9.09 ৳1,117

254.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.68 ฿287

$4.80 ৳590

80.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ৳337

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.90 ฿95.8

$1.91 ৳235

51.83%

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

$0.84 ฿27.89

$0.32 ৳39.38

162.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.16

$0.13 ৳15.36

276.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 ฿82.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿62.3

$0.74 ৳91.4

155.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿46.54

$0.50 ৳61.1

182.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.6

$0.59 ৳73.1

174.58%

Eggs

$2.24 ฿74.1

$1.16 ৳143

93.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.84 ฿656

$7.91 ৳972

150.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 ฿115

$2.30 ৳282

51.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.37 ฿376

$6.15 ৳756

84.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ฿95.8

$2.53 ৳311

14.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ฿57.0

$0.83 ৳102

107.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ฿75.1

$2.19 ৳269

3.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿70.4

$0.63 ৳76.8

238.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.72

$0.25 ৳30.83

488.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.92

$0.52 ৳63.8

173.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 ฿36.25

$0.45 ৳54.7

144.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿19.76

$0.28 ৳34.03

114.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.50 ৳1,045

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 ৳319

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 ৳574

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿142

$2.89 ৳355

49.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.60 ฿615

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿59.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿98.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 ฿74.2

$0.42 ৳51.7

435.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.49 ฿776

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.10 ฿102

$0.83 ৳102

273.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

$0.40 ৳48.85

170.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

$2.79 ৳342

38.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.16

$1.11 ৳136

28.83%

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

$27.8K ฿918.0K

$29.9K ৳3.7M

-7.00%

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

$27.0K ฿891.5K

$32.3K ৳4.0M

-16.53%

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

$105 ฿3,462

$30.12 ৳3,700

247.94%

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

$11.39 ฿376

$4.06 ৳499

180.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.54 ฿580

$8.22 ৳1,010

113.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 ฿1,795

$13.50 ৳1,659

302.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.44 ฿378

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 ฿257

$3.61 ৳444

115.51%

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

$576 ฿19.0K

$25.64 ৳3,150

2148.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿382.7K

$1,530 ৳188.0K

656.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 ฿2,103

$22.30 ৳2,739

185.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.10 ฿961

$23.86 ৳2,931

21.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,179

$32.59 ৳4,003

195.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 ฿2,974

$33.54 ৳4,120

168.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 ฿24.2K

$87.0 ৳10.7K

743.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿16.5K

$52.0 ৳6,389

863.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 ฿70.2K

$169 ৳20.7K

1160.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 ฿41.4K

$116 ৳14.3K

979.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,534 ฿116.8K

$690 ৳84.7K

412.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,622 ฿86.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.44

-46.65%

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

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Last update for Tongi: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $733 in Phuket and $87.0 in Tongi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $9.00 in Tongi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $110 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, Getting Around. The 287% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,898 in Phuket and $491 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: $733 in Phuket versus $87.0 in Tongi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $576 in Phuket versus $25.64 in Tongi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tongi – a meal for two runs $9.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $327 in Tongi versus $1,265 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 287% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.