Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vac

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Vac: $1,294 and $1,313 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Vac
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Vac Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Vac

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,313

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vac

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,313 in Vac.

Phuket $1,294
Vac $1,313

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,227 in Vac.

Phuket $2,204
Vac $2,227

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,141 in Vac.

Phuket $3,115
Vac $3,141

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Vac; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Vac 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$19.27 Ft 6,283

-77.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$112 Ft 36.5K

-71.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$9.45 Ft 3,081

-7.94%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$2.50 Ft 816

8.80%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.51 Ft 493

-38.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$1.28 Ft 418

-60.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$2.36 Ft 768

7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$2.34 Ft 763

55.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.31 Ft 426

32.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.45 Ft 473

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.36 Ft 768

-36.44%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.27 Ft 1,067

-33.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$8.52 Ft 2,776

124.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$6.01 Ft 1,959

-43.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$16.52 Ft 5,384

-34.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.88 Ft 614

56.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.07 Ft 675

-18.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.08 Ft 678

5.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$2.35 Ft 767

-9.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$1.67 Ft 543

-12.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$1.09 Ft 356

25.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.39 Ft 455

-22.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$0.49 Ft 160

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$7.79 Ft 2,538

-43.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$4.98 Ft 1,624

266.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$0.88 Ft 288

101.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.13 Ft 694

35.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

$1.14 Ft 372

27.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

$28.58 Ft 9,316

92.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.75 Ft 898

-45.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.69 Ft 552

-53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$19.20 Ft 6,259

-80.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.85 Ft 604

-19.46%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$25.7K Ft 8.4M

4.46%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$38.6K Ft 12.6M

-31.74%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$150 Ft 49.0K

-34.89%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$23.67 Ft 7,715

-52.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$21.25 Ft 6,925

-19.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$48.28 Ft 15.7K

41.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$18.00 Ft 5,867

-39.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$8.37 Ft 2,727

-11.23%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$248 Ft 80.9K

113.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$7,786 Ft 2.5M

141.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$90.4 Ft 29.5K

-31.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$31.64 Ft 10.3K

-10.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$84.6 Ft 27.6K

13.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$104 Ft 34.0K

-16.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$506 Ft 164.9K

42.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$394 Ft 128.3K

29.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$818 Ft 266.5K

138.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$754 Ft 245.7K

85.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$3,252 Ft 1.1M

28.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$2,506 Ft 816.9K

31.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$1,401 Ft 456.5K

-64.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Vac: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Vac

$394 30% 22.6% $115

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Vac

$234 17.9% 12.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Vac

$195 14.9% 54.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Vac

$140 10.7% 14% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Vac

$240 18.3% 101% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Vac

$65 5% 21.8% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Vac

$44 3.4% 32.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $506 in Vac. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vac pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $112 in Vac. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $234, with Vac cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇭🇺 Vac

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

17:41 5:41 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

34,001

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Vac 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vac

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 Vac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 65% lower in Phuket. 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: $721 in Phuket versus $506 in Vac. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $248 in Vac. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $112 in Vac. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Vac are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Vac on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.