Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vung Tau

For one person, living is cheaper in Vung Tau: $625 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Vung Tau
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Vung Tau Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Vung Tau

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vung Tau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $625 in Vung Tau.

Phuket $1,278
Vung Tau $625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,035 in Vung Tau.

Phuket $2,216
Vung Tau $1,035

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,446 in Vung Tau.

Phuket $3,154
Vung Tau $1,446

Living in Phuket is roughly 105% more expensive than in Vung Tau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Vung Tau 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.92 ₫49.5K

132.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$15.57 ₫401.8K

108.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.95 ₫101.8K

123.04%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.88 ₫48.6K

50.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$0.45 ₫11.5K

93.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.31 ₫7,943

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$0.79 ₫20.3K

224.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.02 ₫26.4K

260.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.41 ₫36.4K

17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.05 ₫27.2K

39.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.90 ₫23.3K

66.67%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.64 ₫42.4K

27.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$4.93 ₫127.2K

286.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.59 ₫92.5K

-8.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$9.78 ₫252.4K

11.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.95 ₫76.1K

-0.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.28 ₫32.9K

32.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$0.64 ₫16.6K

251.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.32 ₫34.0K

57.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.13 ₫29.1K

33.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.20 ₫31.0K

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$0.61 ₫15.7K

75.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.42 ₫10.9K

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.22 ₫31.4K

244.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$12.44 ₫320.9K

51.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$0.86 ₫22.1K

111.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.02 ₫26.3K

178.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$0.31 ₫7,968

367.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$6.99 ₫180.4K

710.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.75 ₫19.4K

302.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$0.57 ₫14.7K

78.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$1.15 ₫29.6K

220.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$0.87 ₫22.6K

68.97%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$30.4K ₫784.4M

-11.93%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$29.1K ₫751.0M

-8.30%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$48.27 ₫1.2M

99.61%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.70 ₫147.1K

97.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$8.09 ₫208.7K

108.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$17.39 ₫448.6K

286.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$9.53 ₫245.9K

12.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.94 ₫101.7K

90.36%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$117 ₫3.0M

307.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$9,727 ₫251.0M

15.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$21.28 ₫549.0K

193.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$19.44 ₫501.6K

46.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$92.8 ₫2.4M

1.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$67.9 ₫1.8M

26.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$299 ₫7.7M

139.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$203 ₫5.2M

141.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$733 ₫18.9M

162.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$503 ₫13.0M

184.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$2,275 ₫58.7M

83.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,329 ₫34.3M

129.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$585 ₫15.1M

-14.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.64

-35.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vung Tau: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Vung Tau

$203 32.5% 58.6% $288

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Vung Tau

$173 27.7% 35% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Vung Tau

$62 9.9% 50.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vung Tau

$91 14.5% 25.7% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vung Tau

$59 9.4% 51.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Vung Tau

$25 4.1% 69.3% $57

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Vung Tau

$12 1.9% 83.2% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $299 in Vung Tau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vung Tau pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $16 in Vung Tau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $173 per month, with Vung Tau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇻🇳 Vung Tau

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

380,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,794 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Vung Tau 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vung Tau

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 Vung Tau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vung Tau is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 14% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $299 in Vung Tau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $117 in Vung Tau. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $625 in Vung Tau versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Vung Tau but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Vung Tau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Vung Tau are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Vung Tau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.