Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tuy Hoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Tuy Hoa: $748 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,190
/mo nomad
Tuy Hoa
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$748
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tuy Hoa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Tuy Hoa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $748 in Tuy Hoa.

  • Phuket $1,190
  • Tuy Hoa $748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $1,213 in Tuy Hoa.

  • Phuket $2,006
  • Tuy Hoa $1,213

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $1,678 in Tuy Hoa.

  • Phuket $2,822
  • Tuy Hoa $1,678

Living in Phuket is roughly 59% more expensive than in Tuy Hoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Tuy Hoa 44% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Tuy Hoa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.35 ฿146
$2.68 ₫69.5K
62.31%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.45 ฿1,087
$23.49 ₫607.9K
38.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.42 ฿282
$4.63 ₫119.8K
81.86%
Cappuccino
$2.81 ฿94.0
$1.63 ₫42.1K
72.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.31
$0.36 ₫9,387
141.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ฿15.40
$0.23 ₫5,971
100.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$0.65 ₫16.8K
298.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.64 ฿122
$1.20 ₫31.1K
203.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Tuy Hoa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 ฿57.2
$1.41 ₫36.5K
21.28%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.45
$0.44 ₫11.4K
229.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.3
$1.04 ₫26.8K
50.00%
Eggs
$2.10 ฿70.3
$1.37 ₫35.6K
53.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.53 ฿654
$11.81 ₫305.7K
65.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$3.06 ₫79.1K
11.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿373
$11.01 ₫285.0K
1.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 ฿94.9
$1.96 ₫50.8K
44.39%
Banana (1kg)
$1.62 ฿54.4
$0.83 ₫21.5K
95.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 ฿74.5
$1.06 ₫27.5K
109.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.15 ฿71.9
$1.19 ₫30.7K
80.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 ฿49.98
$0.79 ₫20.4K
88.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.43
$0.66 ₫17.0K
101.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.74
$0.79 ₫20.4K
35.44%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.02
$0.38 ₫9,858
34.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 ฿147
$1.55 ₫40.2K
182.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.77 ฿629
$11.39 ₫294.8K
64.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.3
$0.61 ₫15.7K
185.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿93.0
$1.85 ₫47.9K
50.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Tuy Hoa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.17 ฿72.6
$0.30 ₫7,643
623.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.28 ฿746
$6.60 ₫170.7K
237.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿101
$0.56 ₫14.4K
439.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.45
$0.59 ₫15.4K
79.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.71 ฿124
$2.60 ₫67.3K
42.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.43 ฿47.91
$0.87 ₫22.6K
64.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿882.6K
$30.6K ₫791.1M
-13.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.2K ฿877.8K
$28.3K ₫733.4M
-7.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Tuy Hoa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.7 ฿3,238
$75.2 ₫1.9M
28.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.41 ฿382
$6.65 ₫172.1K
71.58%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.11 ฿573
$9.18 ₫237.6K
86.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Tuy Hoa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ฿1,769
$22.53 ₫583.1K
134.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.07 ฿371
$6.92 ₫179.2K
59.97%
Cinema Ticket
$7.65 ฿256
$1.94 ₫50.2K
294.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Tuy Hoa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$555 ฿18.6K
$208 ₫5.4M
167.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿377.9K
$3,820 ₫98.9M
195.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Tuy Hoa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$63.4 ฿2,124
$41.52 ₫1.1M
52.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.61 ฿958
$24.19 ₫626.0K
18.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.7 ฿3,240
$48.70 ₫1.3M
98.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 ฿2,968
$80.3 ₫2.1M
10.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Tuy Hoa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 ฿24.6K
$377 ₫9.8M
94.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$458 ฿15.3K
$312 ₫8.1M
46.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,102 ฿70.4K
$759 ₫19.7M
176.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,187 ฿39.8K
$529 ₫13.7M
124.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,493 ฿117.0K
$2,785 ₫72.1M
25.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,491 ฿83.5K
$1,298 ₫33.6M
92.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Tuy Hoa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
8.46
-34.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tuy Hoa: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$458
Tuy Hoa
$312 31.9% $146
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Tuy Hoa
$178 33.7% $90
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
Tuy Hoa
$91 27.2% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$125
Tuy Hoa
$88 29.8% $37
Eating Out
Phuket
$119
Tuy Hoa
$63 47.3% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
Tuy Hoa
$26 61.2% $42
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Tuy Hoa
$11 71.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $377 in Tuy Hoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $23.00 in Tuy Hoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $178 per month, with Tuy Hoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇻🇳 Tuy Hoa
🕒 Local time
07:38 7:38 AM
07:38 7:38 AM
Same time as Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
202,030
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.5 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,003 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Tuy Hoa 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Tuy Hoa

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 Tuy Hoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tuy Hoa cheaper than Phuket?
Tuy Hoa is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,785 in Phuket and $1,122 in Tuy Hoa 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Tuy Hoa?
Rent for a central apartment: $735 in Phuket versus $377 in Tuy Hoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $555 in Phuket versus $208 in Tuy Hoa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Tuy Hoa?
Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Tuy Hoa?
At $748 in Tuy Hoa versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tuy Hoa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tuy Hoa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Phuket or Tuy Hoa more family-friendly?
For families, Tuy Hoa 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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Tuy Hoa?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Tuy Hoa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Tuy Hoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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