Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Udon Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Udon Thani: $832 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Udon Thani
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Udon Thani Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Udon Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$832

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Udon Thani

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 Udon Thani actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $832 in Udon Thani.

Phuket $1,207
Udon Thani $832

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,352 in Udon Thani.

Phuket $2,037
Udon Thani $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,873 in Udon Thani.

Phuket $2,867
Udon Thani $1,873

Living in Phuket is roughly 45% more expensive than in Udon Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Udon Thani 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.31 ฿77.3

98.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$27.97 ฿935

16.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$11.74 ฿392

-27.17%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.52 ฿50.7

78.95%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.73 ฿24.33

28.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.28 ฿9.30

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.73 ฿57.9

49.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.36 ฿78.9

62.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$2.58 ฿86.3

-32.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.44 ฿48.13

-0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.44 ฿48.27

6.25%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.52 ฿50.9

42.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$17.61 ฿589

8.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.56 ฿85.5

28.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$13.89 ฿464

-19.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.39 ฿79.9

23.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.98 ฿32.79

71.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.04 ฿68.1

12.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.05 ฿68.4

3.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.51 ฿50.6

1.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.06 ฿35.27

28.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.23 ฿40.97

-8.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.60 ฿20.18

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.28 ฿143

-0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$37.19 ฿1,243

-51.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.77 ฿59.1

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.01 ฿67.3

38.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.60 ฿20.07

270.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$10.24 ฿342

115.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.02 ฿34.04

185.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.42 ฿47.59

-28.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$10.09 ฿337

-62.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.19 ฿39.62

25.21%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$41.8K ฿1.4M

-36.16%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

-18.97%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$61.6 ฿2,058

61.39%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$14.55 ฿486

-22.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$22.12 ฿739

-21.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$91.1 ฿3,045

-42.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$8.21 ฿275

32.16%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$4.49 ฿150

68.60%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$200 ฿6,699

178.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$10.2K ฿339.6K

13.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$43.46 ฿1,452

44.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$53.6 ฿1,791

-46.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$71.0 ฿2,374

35.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$77.2 ฿2,580

14.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$175 ฿5,861

315.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$111 ฿3,718

313.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$384 ฿12.8K

445.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$306 ฿10.2K

298.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,152 ฿38.5K

200.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$411 ฿13.7K

506.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$766 ฿25.6K

-35.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.96

-30.03%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Udon Thani: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Udon Thani

$111 13.4% 75.8% $349

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Udon Thani

$302 36.3% 12.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Udon Thani

$98 11.8% 23.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Udon Thani

$110 13.3% 11% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Udon Thani

$89 10.7% 26.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Udon Thani

$100 12% 48.4% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Udon Thani

$21 2.5% 46.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $175 in Udon Thani. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Udon Thani pays 55% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $28.00 in Udon Thani. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $302, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Udon Thani

🕒 Local time

04:56 4:56 AM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

130,531

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Udon Thani 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Udon Thani

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 Udon Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Udon Thani is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and transport. The 45% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Udon Thani. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $175 in Udon Thani. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $200 in Udon Thani. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $832 in Udon Thani versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Udon Thani but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Udon Thani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Udon Thani 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 Udon Thani 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 Udon Thani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.