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 $319 in Tongi.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,297 in Phuket versus $523 in Tongi.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,329 in Phuket versus $726 in Tongi.

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 ฿154

$1.69 ৳207

178.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.37 ฿1,483

$10.11 ৳1,241

348.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 ฿276

$4.84 ৳594

74.17%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.18 ৳512

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.70 ৳577

Cappuccino

$2.93 ฿95.7

$1.43 ৳175

104.90%

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

$0.69 ฿22.42

$0.35 ৳42.46

97.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.00

$0.17 ৳20.49

117.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 ฿73.0

$0.66 ৳81.4

237.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 ฿59.9

$0.56 ৳69.2

226.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ฿70.9

$0.62 ৳75.6

250.00%

Eggs

$2.21 ฿72.4

$1.22 ৳150

81.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.74 ฿645

$7.00 ৳859

182.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 ฿119

$2.49 ৳306

45.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.53 ฿442

$5.20 ৳638

160.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.28 ฿107

$2.21 ৳271

48.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ฿52.7

$1.00 ৳123

61.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.7

$2.11 ৳258

14.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿68.1

$0.66 ৳80.7

215.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿49.97

$0.26 ৳31.83

488.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿48.41

$0.37 ৳45.75

300.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ฿32.32

$0.33 ৳40.37

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.68

$0.28 ৳34.74

82.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.07 ৳1,112

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ৳275

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 ৳590

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿144

$2.91 ৳357

51.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.38 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 ฿88.7

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ฿44.83

$0.20 ৳24.51

585.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.39 ฿372

$10.40 ৳1,276

9.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿98.7

$0.81 ৳99.1

272.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ฿32.51

$0.39 ৳48.29

153.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.10 ฿461

$2.02 ৳248

598.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿44.55

$0.99 ৳122

37.37%

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

$28.2K ฿921.9K

$28.9K ৳3.5M

-2.50%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$27.8K ৳3.4M

18.47%

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

$122 ฿3,978

$30.14 ৳3,698

303.78%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$4.70 ৳576

188.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.31 ฿599

$9.06 ৳1,111

102.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 ฿1,969

$13.51 ৳1,658

345.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.14 ฿560

$11.99 ৳1,471

42.95%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 ฿284

$4.19 ৳514

107.40%

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

$693 ฿22.7K

$27.46 ৳3,368

2425.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K ฿512.8K

$928 ৳113.8K

1591.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.5 ฿1,946

$16.00 ৳1,963

272.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.77 ฿1,137

$17.64 ৳2,164

97.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 ฿3,746

$33.04 ৳4,054

246.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 ฿2,723

$36.56 ৳4,484

127.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 ฿20.0K

$70.1 ৳8,594

775.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.3K

$42.05 ৳5,158

939.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,094 ฿68.5K

$165 ৳20.2K

1170.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 ฿49.3K

$98.9 ৳12.1K

1426.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,749 ฿122.6K

$761 ৳93.3K

392.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,616 ฿85.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$508 ฿16.6K

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: June 2, 2026

Last update for Tongi: May 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $613 in Phuket and $70.1 in Tongi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Phuket vs $10.00 in Tongi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 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 $1,898 in Phuket and $479 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: $613 in Phuket versus $70.1 in Tongi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $693 in Phuket versus $27.46 in Tongi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 182% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $319 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 296% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.