Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohnpei and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,662 in Pohnpei, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Pohnpei
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Pohnpei Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Pohnpei

🇫🇲 Micronesia

$1,662

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pohnpei and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pohnpei and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,662 in Pohnpei versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Pohnpei $1,662
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,526 in Pohnpei versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Pohnpei $2,526
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,390 in Pohnpei versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Pohnpei $3,390
Phuket $3,154

Living in Pohnpei is roughly 30% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pohnpei is 22% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.42 $11.42

$4.47 ฿151

155.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.11 $45.11

$32.41 ฿1,093

39.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.55 $7.55

$8.81 ฿297

-14.30%

Cappuccino

$2.94 $2.94

$2.83 ฿95.4

3.89%

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

$1.21 $1.21

$0.87 ฿29.41

39.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 $3.90

$0.49 ฿16.65

695.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 $2.97

$3.68 ฿124

-19.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.25 $0.25

$1.66 ฿55.9

-84.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.46 ฿49.31

124.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.50 ฿50.5

98.67%

Eggs

$7.16 $7.16

$2.09 ฿70.5

242.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 $7.21

$19.07 ฿643

-62.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$3.30 ฿111

52.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.70 $11.70

$10.91 ฿368

7.24%

Apples (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.93 ฿98.9

106.14%

Banana (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.69 ฿57.0

110.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.39 $5.39

$2.25 ฿75.8

139.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

Potato (1kg)

$4.87 $4.87

$1.51 ฿51.0

222.52%

Onion (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$1.38 ฿46.52

267.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.83 $3.83

$1.07 ฿35.96

257.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.52 ฿17.51

88.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.85 $8.85

$4.20 ฿142

110.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$18.79 ฿634

-84.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 $2.36

$2.84 ฿95.8

-16.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.45 ฿48.98

-33.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.02 ฿102

62.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.02 ฿34.33

22.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.10 $4.10

$3.69 ฿125

11.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.47 ฿49.76

147.62%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

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

$134 $134

$96.4 ฿3,251

38.84%

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

$39.34 $39.34

$11.26 ฿380

249.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$200 $200

$16.85 ฿568

1088.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.08 $20.08

$67.2 ฿2,268

-70.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$50.0 $50.0

$10.73 ฿362

366.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

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

$171 $171

$476 ฿16.1K

-64.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 $80.6

$62.4 ฿2,104

29.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.9 $66.9

$28.41 ฿958

135.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$94.3 ฿3,181

16.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 $97.9

$85.8 ฿2,895

14.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 $890

$716 ฿24.2K

24.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 $625

$491 ฿16.6K

27.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 $1,581

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-17.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 $1,203

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-15.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$352 $352

$502 ฿16.9K

-29.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

360000

5.57

6463095.69%

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

Last update for Pohnpei: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pohnpei

$625 37.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 21.4% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohnpei

$373 22.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 66.7% $249

Groceries & Markets

Pohnpei

$293 * 17.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 9.2% $27

Eating Out

Pohnpei

$176 * 10.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Pohnpei

$160 9.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 23.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Pohnpei

$20 * 1.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 310% $62

Getting Around

Pohnpei

$15 * 0.9%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 368% $56

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 $890 in Pohnpei and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45 in Pohnpei vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇲 Pohnpei

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

03:20 3:20 AM

4 h behind Pohnpei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,486

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pohnpei Phuket 6,600 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Pohnpei
Phuket

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

Pohnpei vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in utilities, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Pohnpei. 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: $890 in Pohnpei versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $171 in Pohnpei versus $476 in Phuket. 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 $45 in Pohnpei. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,662 in Pohnpei, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Pohnpei. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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, Pohnpei and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.