Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ranong and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ranong: $976 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ranong
🇹🇭 Thailand
$976
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $976 in Ranong versus $1,208 in Phuket.

  • Ranong $976
  • Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,650 in Ranong versus $2,027 in Phuket.

  • Ranong $1,650
  • Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,324 in Ranong versus $2,845 in Phuket.

  • Ranong $2,324
  • Phuket $2,845

Living in Ranong costs roughly 19% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ranong 28% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ranong
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.36 ฿146
$4.40 ฿147
-0.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.07 ฿1,072
$32.26 ฿1,078
-0.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.46 ฿283
$8.76 ฿293
-3.42%
Cappuccino
$2.74 ฿91.5
$2.83 ฿94.5
-3.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 ฿31.98
$0.90 ฿30.14
6.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.59
$0.47 ฿15.56
6.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 ฿85.3
$2.55 ฿85.2
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿126
$3.83 ฿128
-1.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ranong
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.5
$1.73 ฿57.7
-4.05%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 ฿48.98
$1.47 ฿49.11
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.52 ฿50.6
$1.51 ฿50.6
0.66%
Eggs
$2.20 ฿73.4
$2.17 ฿72.7
1.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.67 ฿657
$19.70 ฿658
-0.15%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿110
$3.34 ฿112
-1.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.09 ฿371
$11.16 ฿373
-0.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.3
$2.85 ฿95.1
3.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 ฿54.9
$1.70 ฿56.9
-3.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.26 ฿75.7
$2.19 ฿73.3
3.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.07 ฿69.2
$2.05 ฿68.4
0.98%
Potato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.2
$1.45 ฿48.57
3.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.31 ฿43.78
$1.38 ฿46.16
-5.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 ฿35.35
$1.07 ฿35.69
-0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.01
$0.51 ฿16.91
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.46 ฿149
$4.26 ฿142
4.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.42 ฿616
$18.58 ฿621
-0.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.81 ฿60.6
$1.78 ฿59.7
1.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.75 ฿92.1
$2.85 ฿95.2
-3.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Ranong
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 ฿26.38
$2.26 ฿75.6
-65.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$22.10 ฿738
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.21 ฿40.34
$3.01 ฿101
-59.80%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.07 ฿35.76
$1.06 ฿35.34
0.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.81 ฿127
$3.86 ฿129
-1.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.48 ฿49.36
$1.45 ฿48.45
2.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.4K ฿883.5K
$26.3K ฿879.9K
0.41%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K ฿881.7K
$26.9K ฿900.4K
-2.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ranong
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.5 ฿3,324
$96.4 ฿3,221
3.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.07 ฿370
$11.04 ฿369
0.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.26 ฿577
$17.14 ฿573
0.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ranong
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.35 ฿1,449
$52.2 ฿1,744
-16.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.40 ฿414
$11.16 ฿373
11.11%
Cinema Ticket
$7.65 ฿256
$7.81 ฿261
-2.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ranong
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$548 ฿18.3K
$556 ฿18.6K
-1.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K ฿382.5K
$11.6K ฿387.0K
-1.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ranong
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.3 ฿2,147
$64.2 ฿2,146
0.08%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.31 ฿946
$28.69 ฿959
-1.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.8 ฿3,203
$95.4 ฿3,187
0.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.6 ฿2,993
$88.0 ฿2,940
1.81%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ranong
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$467 ฿15.6K
$737 ฿24.6K
-36.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$268 ฿8,954
$462 ฿15.5K
-42.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 ฿36.1K
$2,095 ฿70.0K
-48.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$762 ฿25.5K
$1,201 ฿40.1K
-36.57%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,902 ฿63.6K
$3,488 ฿116.6K
-45.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,616 ฿54.0K
$2,523 ฿84.3K
-35.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ranong
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$501 ฿16.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
5.57
-

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

Last update for Ranong: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ranong
$268
Phuket
$462 72.6% $194
Groceries & Markets
Ranong
$268
Phuket
$269 0.3% $0.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ranong
$128
Phuket
$125 2.5% $3.2
Clothing & Footwear
Ranong
$125
Phuket
$124 0.6% $0.8
Eating Out
Ranong
$119
Phuket
$121 1.7% $2.1
Sport & Entertainment
Ranong
$59
Phuket
$68 15.6% $9.2
Getting Around
Ranong
$9.7 *
Phuket
$39 306% $30

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 $467 in Ranong and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Ranong vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $269 per month, with Ranong cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Ranong
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
21:19 9:19 PM
21:19 9:19 PM
Same time as Ranong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,163
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ranong Phuket 230 km
From you
  • Ranong
  • 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
Ranong vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Ranong?
Ranong is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,464 in Ranong and $1,813 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.
What is the rent difference between Ranong and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $467 in Ranong versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $548 in Ranong versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Ranong or in Phuket?
Dining out is cheaper in Ranong – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Ranong or in Phuket?
At $976 in Ranong versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ranong but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Ranong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Ranong or Phuket more family-friendly?
For families, Ranong 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.
Which city is safer, Ranong or Phuket?
Safety-wise, Ranong and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Ranong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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