Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Yala

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $912 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
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Yala Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Yala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $912 in Yala.

Phuket $1,278
Yala $912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,463 in Yala.

Phuket $2,216
Yala $1,463

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,014 in Yala.

Phuket $3,154
Yala $2,014

Living in Phuket is roughly 40% more expensive than in Yala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Yala 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.46 ฿49.33

206.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$24.71 ฿834

31.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.49 ฿253

17.62%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.96 ฿66.0

44.39%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$0.53 ฿17.92

64.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.17 ฿5.89

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.11 ฿71.3

21.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.93 ฿99.0

25.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.72 ฿58.1

-3.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.40 ฿47.13

4.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.31 ฿44.25

14.50%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.99 ฿67.1

5.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$16.83 ฿568

13.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.68 ฿90.5

23.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.31 ฿348

5.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.88 ฿97.3

1.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.05 ฿35.53

60.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.21 ฿74.7

1.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.94 ฿65.6

7.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.52 ฿51.3

-0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.11 ฿37.60

24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.06 ฿35.89

0.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.49 ฿16.61

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.30 ฿145

-2.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$17.83 ฿602

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.68 ฿56.9

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.86 ฿96.6

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.58 ฿19.61

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.16 ฿39.13

160.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.17 ฿39.60

-12.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$5.91 ฿200

-37.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.41 ฿47.48

4.26%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$26.9K ฿909.4K

-0.56%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.8K ฿904.6K

-0.36%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$84.3 ฿2,847

14.27%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$12.13 ฿410

-7.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$18.84 ฿636

-10.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$47.71 ฿1,611

40.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.35 ฿451

-19.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.61 ฿223

13.46%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$581 ฿19.6K

-18.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$10.9K ฿366.8K

3.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$49.99 ฿1,688

24.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$29.59 ฿999

-3.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$76.8 ฿2,594

22.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$75.3 ฿2,541

14.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$437 ฿14.8K

63.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$301 ฿10.1K

63.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,131 ฿38.2K

70.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$683 ฿23.1K

109.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,907 ฿64.4K

118.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,461 ฿49.3K

108.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yala: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Yala

$301 32.9% 38.8% $190

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Yala

$245 26.9% 7.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Yala

$115 12.6% 7.4% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yala

$104 11.4% 14.5% $18

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Yala

$77 8.4% 36.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Yala

$61 6.7% 25.9% $21

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Yala

$9.4 * 1% 86.8% $61

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 $437 in Yala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $25 in Yala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $245 per month, with Yala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Yala

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

60,617

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Yala 350 km

From you

Phuket
Yala

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 Yala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yala is cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and leisure. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,369 in Yala 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 $437 in Yala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $581 in Yala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Yala – a meal for two runs $25 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Yala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Yala are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.