Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Wah

For one person, living is cheaper in Wah: $420 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Wah
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Wah Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Wah

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$420

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Wah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $420 in Wah.

Phuket $1,278
Wah $420

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $648 in Wah.

Phuket $2,216
Wah $648

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $877 in Wah.

Phuket $3,154
Wah $877

Living in Phuket is roughly 205% more expensive than in Wah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Wah 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.80 PKR 497

148.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$11.03 PKR 3,051

193.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.28 PKR 1,460

66.86%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 PKR 694

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 PKR 594

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.23 PKR 339

130.08%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.34 PKR 94.4

155.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.26 PKR 72.1

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.76 PKR 211

118.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.61 PKR 169

139.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.26 PKR 348

19.05%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.19 PKR 329

75.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.58 PKR 2,375

122.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.59 PKR 717

27.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$4.12 PKR 1,140

164.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.05 PKR 291

179.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$0.66 PKR 181

156.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$0.60 PKR 166

275.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$0.58 PKR 161

258.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.30 PKR 83.2

403.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.48 PKR 132

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$0.43 PKR 119

148.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.40 PKR 112

30.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.56 PKR 155

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 PKR 145

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 PKR 209

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$1.48 PKR 410

183.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.19 PKR 52.4

663.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$10.22 PKR 2,828

454.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.06 PKR 292

184.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.11 PKR 307

-8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$2.86 PKR 792

29.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.22 PKR 338

20.49%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$23.2K PKR 6.4M

15.33%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$23.0K PKR 6.4M

16.14%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$67.6 PKR 18.7K

42.55%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$5.46 PKR 1,512

106.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$14.33 PKR 3,966

17.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$14.61 PKR 4,042

360.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$8.65 PKR 2,393

24.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.26 PKR 2,010

3.31%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$26.57 PKR 7,353

1691.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,991 PKR 550.9K

465.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$18.95 PKR 5,243

229.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$26.89 PKR 7,441

5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$53.6 PKR 14.8K

75.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$30.37 PKR 8,404

182.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$152 PKR 42.0K

372.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$82.2 PKR 22.7K

497.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$241 PKR 66.7K

699.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$171 PKR 47.3K

737.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$779 PKR 215.6K

435.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$462 PKR 127.8K

559.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.83

-52.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Wah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Wah

$82 19.6% 83.3% $409

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Wah

$98 23.2% 63.4% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Wah

$87 20.8% 29.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Wah

$58 13.9% 52.1% $63

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Wah

$47 11.3% 61.1% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Wah

$29 6.9% 64.6% $53

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Wah

$18 4.2% 75.1% $53

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $152 in Wah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $11 in Wah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $98 per month, with Wah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇰 Wah

🕒 Local time

05:54 5:54 AM

03:54 3:54 AM

2 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

400,733

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 277 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.61 USD). 1 EUR = 308 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.25 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Wah 3,900 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Wah

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 Wah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wah is about 67% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $629 in Wah 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 $152 in Wah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $27 in Wah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 173% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $420 in Wah versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Wah but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Wah 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 Wah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Wah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.