Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Poipet and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Poipet: $518 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Poipet, Cambodia
Phuket, Thailand
Poipet
🇰🇭 Cambodia
$518
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Poipet 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 Poipet and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Poipet versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Poipet $518
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $813 in Poipet versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Poipet $813
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,109 in Poipet versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Poipet $1,109
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Poipet costs roughly 60% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Poipet 62% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Poipet
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.57 ៛10.5K
$4.47 ฿151
-42.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.39 ៛83.2K
$32.41 ฿1,094
-37.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.11 ៛24.9K
$8.81 ฿297
-30.65%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ៛6,817
$2.83 ฿95.5
-40.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.67 ៛2,754
$0.87 ฿29.43
-22.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.40 ៛1,626
$0.49 ฿16.67
-18.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.03 ៛4,190
$2.56 ฿86.4
-59.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 ៛8,369
$3.68 ฿124
-44.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Poipet
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.22 ៛9,043
$1.66 ฿56.0
33.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.69 ៛6,879
$1.46 ฿49.35
15.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.87 ៛3,546
$1.50 ฿50.6
-42.00%
Eggs
$1.74 ៛7,120
$2.09 ฿70.5
-16.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.47 ៛63.1K
$19.07 ฿644
-18.88%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.84 ៛11.6K
$3.30 ฿111
-13.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.24 ៛41.8K
$10.91 ฿368
-6.14%
Apples (1kg)
$4.28 ៛17.5K
$2.93 ฿99.0
46.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.27 ៛5,176
$1.69 ฿57.1
-24.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.78 ៛15.4K
$2.25 ฿75.8
68.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.05 ៛4,269
$2.08 ฿70.1
-49.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ៛5,229
$1.51 ฿51.0
-15.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 ៛4,566
$1.38 ฿46.56
-18.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ៛5,545
$1.07 ฿35.99
27.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.80 ៛3,276
$0.52 ฿17.52
53.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.39 ៛5,677
$4.20 ฿142
-66.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.78 ៛31.7K
$18.79 ฿634
-58.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 ៛4,042
$1.82 ฿61.5
-45.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 ៛9,395
$2.84 ฿95.9
-19.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Poipet
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.45 ฿49.03
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,913
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.01 ៛8,213
$3.02 ฿102
-33.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.97 ៛3,966
$1.02 ฿34.36
-4.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.92 ៛20.1K
$3.69 ฿125
33.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 ៛5,128
$1.47 ฿49.81
-14.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.0K ៛102.0M
$26.8K ฿904.3K
-6.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K ៛92.0M
$26.7K ฿901.3K
-15.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Poipet
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 ៛416.8K
$96.4 ฿3,254
6.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.73 ៛23.4K
$11.26 ฿380
-49.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.50 ៛63.3K
$16.85 ฿569
-8.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Poipet
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$67.2 ฿2,270
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.94 ៛20.2K
$7.50 ฿253
-34.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Poipet
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$289 ៛1.2M
$476 ฿16.1K
-39.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,367 ៛17.8M
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-61.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Poipet
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.81 ៛105.3K
$62.4 ฿2,106
-58.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$13.13 ៛53.6K
$28.41 ฿959
-53.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$68.6 ៛279.8K
$94.3 ฿3,184
-27.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.58 ៛181.9K
$85.8 ฿2,898
-48.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Poipet
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$716 ฿24.2K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$491 ฿16.6K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Poipet
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$502 ฿17.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.2
5.57
65.17%

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

Last update for Poipet: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Poipet
$236
Phuket
$266 12.6% $30
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Poipet
$123
Phuket
$124 0.9% $1.1
Eating Out
Poipet
$73
Phuket
$122 67.8% $49
Clothing & Footwear
Poipet
$68
Phuket
$122 78.1% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Poipet
$9.9 *
Phuket
$82 732% $72
Getting Around
Poipet
$6.9 *
Phuket
$71 927% $64
Accommodation & Living
Poipet
- *
Phuket
$491

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $20 in Poipet vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $266 per month, with Poipet cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇰🇭 Poipet
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
03:27 3:27 AM
03:27 3:27 AM
Same time as Poipet
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
98,934
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,081 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,543 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Poipet Phuket 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Poipet
  • 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
Poipet vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Poipet cheaper than Phuket?
Poipet is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $776 in Poipet and $1,917 in Phuket 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.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $289 in Poipet versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Poipet or in Phuket?
Dining out is cheaper in Poipet – a meal for two runs $20 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Poipet or in Phuket?
At $518 in Poipet versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Poipet but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Poipet the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Poipet or in Phuket?
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.

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