Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tunapuna Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tunapuna

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,211 in Tunapuna.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $1,958 in Tunapuna.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $2,706 in Tunapuna.

Living in Phuket is roughly 2% more expensive than Tunapuna, driven mainly by Monthly Utilities & Internet.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 8% lower, Tunapuna 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$5.92 TTD 40.22

-21.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,532

$73.1 TTD 496

-35.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿289

$6.67 TTD 45.30

32.53%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿98.0

$2.95 TTD 20.00

1.69%

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

$0.74 ฿24.25

$0.50 TTD 3.37

48.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.95

$0.42 TTD 2.84

-11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.8

$1.45 TTD 9.81

68.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿118

$2.87 TTD 19.52

25.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.9

$2.11 TTD 14.35

7.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿60.1

$2.82 TTD 19.15

-34.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.4

$2.57 TTD 17.46

-12.84%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.7

$5.15 TTD 34.95

-54.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿643

$7.91 TTD 53.7

148.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$10.43 TTD 70.8

-65.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿428

$14.31 TTD 97.2

-8.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿111

$5.66 TTD 38.45

-40.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.7

$2.63 TTD 17.84

-37.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿79.0

$4.29 TTD 29.14

-43.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.4

$4.60 TTD 31.23

-55.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.9

$1.43 TTD 9.73

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.94

$1.71 TTD 11.61

-12.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.50

$1.95 TTD 13.21

-47.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.00

$1.04 TTD 7.08

-52.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$5.10 TTD 34.60

-12.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿617

$19.33 TTD 131

-2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿58.1

$1.44 TTD 9.78

23.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿90.1

$2.71 TTD 18.38

1.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.81

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿376

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿102

$1.01 TTD 6.84

208.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.67

$1.24 TTD 8.39

-19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿461

$15.06 TTD 102

-6.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿44.19

$1.06 TTD 7.20

27.36%

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

$27.2K ฿888.9K

$34.2K TTD 232.4K

-20.58%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$38.9K TTD 264.2K

-15.39%

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

$125 ฿4,087

$81.2 TTD 551

54.01%

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

$13.57 ฿444

$47.13 TTD 320

-71.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿606

$61.2 TTD 416

-69.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿2,010

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿551

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿300

$10.04 TTD 68.2

-8.47%

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

$698 ฿22.8K

$332 TTD 2,256

110.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿509.9K

$7,101 TTD 48.2K

119.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,889

$58.4 TTD 397

-1.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,152

$37.99 TTD 258

-7.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,699

$146 TTD 993

-22.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,825

$59.2 TTD 402

45.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.1K

$448 TTD 3,039

37.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.6K

$377 TTD 2,561

18.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿67.0K

$1,037 TTD 7,044

97.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.8K

$702 TTD 4,766

112.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿123.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

5.38

-0.93%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Tunapuna: April 25, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $448 in Tunapuna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $73.0 in Tunapuna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $363 per month, with Phuket 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 Tunapuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tunapuna is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $1,816 in Tunapuna 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: $616 in Phuket versus $448 in Tunapuna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $332 in Tunapuna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tunapuna – a meal for two runs $73.0 versus $47.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,211 in Tunapuna versus $1,232 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tunapuna but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tunapuna the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tunapuna 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 Tunapuna 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 Tunapuna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.