Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Van

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Van
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Van Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Van

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $956 in Van.

Phuket $1,278
Van $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,536 in Van.

Phuket $2,216
Van $1,536

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,116 in Van.

Phuket $3,154
Van $2,116

Living in Phuket is roughly 34% more expensive than in Van, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Van 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$7.48 ₺373

-40.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$34.59 ₺1,724

-6.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.93 ₺395

11.10%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$3.57 ₺178

-20.73%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.14 ₺56.6

-23.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.42 ₺21.18

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.33 ₺166

-23.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.10 ₺154

18.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.96 ₺47.68

72.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.00 ₺49.81

46.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.25 ₺112

-33.33%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.48 ₺73.9

41.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.99 ₺448

112.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$4.07 ₺203

-18.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$22.62 ₺1,127

-51.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.82 ₺90.9

60.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.83 ₺91.1

-7.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.09 ₺54.4

106.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.15 ₺57.4

80.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.52 ₺25.74

190.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.35 ₺17.45

294.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.74 ₺36.88

44.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.61 ₺30.54

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.16 ₺108

94.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.36 ₺516

81.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.01 ₺100.0

-9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.79 ₺139

1.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.73 ₺36.60

98.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.30 ₺64.6

132.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$0.76 ₺37.86

34.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$7.21 ₺359

-48.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.28 ₺64.0

14.84%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$42.2K ₺2.1M

-36.61%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$38.9K ₺1.9M

-31.40%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$79.9 ₺3,982

20.59%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.46 ₺522

7.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$13.39 ₺667

25.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$57.0 ₺2,842

17.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.49 ₺324

15.56%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$624 ₺31.1K

-23.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$11.4K ₺566.2K

-0.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$45.86 ₺2,285

35.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$33.35 ₺1,662

-14.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$79.7 ₺3,970

18.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$88.8 ₺4,426

-3.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$469 ₺23.4K

52.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$278 ₺13.9K

76.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$816 ₺40.7K

136.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$586 ₺29.2K

144.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,491 ₺74.3K

180.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$968 ₺48.2K

214.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

41.33

-86.52%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Van

$278 29.1% 43.3% $213

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Van

$229 23.9% 14.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Van

$104 10.9% 16.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Van

$111 11.7% 8.6% $10

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Van

$156 16.3% 27.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Van

$70 7.3% 14.9% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Van

$8 * 0.8% 88.6% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $469 in Van. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $35 in Van. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $229, with Van cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇷 Van

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

20:39 8:39 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,141,015

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Van 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Van

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 Van: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Van is cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,434 in Van 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: $716 in Phuket versus $469 in Van. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $624 in Van. 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 $35 in Van. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.