Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Waling

For one person, living is cheaper in Waling: $325 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Waling
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Waling Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Waling

🇳🇵 Nepal

$325

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Waling

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $325 in Waling.

Phuket $1,207
Waling $325

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $532 in Waling.

Phuket $2,037
Waling $532

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $739 in Waling.

Phuket $2,867
Waling $739

Living in Phuket is roughly 271% more expensive than in Waling, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Waling 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.01 NPR 305

127.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$19.99 NPR 3,038

62.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$7.98 NPR 1,212

7.14%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$1.54 NPR 234

76.62%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.54 NPR 81.3

74.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.15 NPR 23.24

226.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.14 NPR 476

-17.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.19 NPR 484

20.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.76 NPR 115

128.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.44 NPR 67.3

225.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$0.86 NPR 131

77.91%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.33 NPR 202

63.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$6.67 NPR 1,014

187.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.69 NPR 408

22.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$3.18 NPR 483

250.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$1.98 NPR 301

48.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$0.75 NPR 114

124.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.34 NPR 204

71.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$0.53 NPR 80.9

301.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.35 NPR 52.4

337.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.38 NPR 57.7

257.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.48 NPR 73.6

133.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.19 NPR 28.35

189.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.46 NPR 373

73.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$5.25 NPR 797

246.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$2.21 NPR 336

-21.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.92 NPR 443

-4.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.81 NPR 275

60.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.19 NPR 181

-15.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.21 NPR 488

19.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.39 NPR 212

7.19%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$29.1K NPR 4.4M

-8.31%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

-26.53%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$31.49 NPR 4,784

215.56%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$3.42 NPR 520

229.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$9.30 NPR 1,413

86.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$2.89 NPR 439

161.94%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$67.2 NPR 10.2K

731.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$5,498 NPR 835.3K

108.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$25.08 NPR 3,811

150.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$27.13 NPR 4,122

5.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$63.4 NPR 9,625

51.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$28.38 NPR 4,312

210.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$1,051 NPR 159.8K

228.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,240 NPR 188.5K

100.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.72

-42.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Waling: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Waling

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Waling

$120 36.8% 55.3% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Waling

$44 13.6% 65.5% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Waling

$65 19.9% 47.8% $59

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Waling

$83 25.6% 31.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Waling

$5.8 * 1.8% 91.4% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Waling

$7.8 * 2.4% 80% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $20.00 in Waling for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $120 per month, with Waling cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇳🇵 Waling

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

10:11 10:11 AM

1 h 15 min behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

21,867

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD). 1 EUR = 171 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Waling 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Waling

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 Waling: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Waling is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 271% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $488 in Waling 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.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $67.2 in Waling. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Waling – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $325 in Waling versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Waling but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Waling the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Waling 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 Waling 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 Waling gentler on the wallet – expenses run 271% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.