Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratchaburi and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratchaburi: $950 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ratchaburi
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Ratchaburi Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$950

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $950 in Ratchaburi versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Ratchaburi $950
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,553 in Ratchaburi versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Ratchaburi $1,553
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,157 in Ratchaburi versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Ratchaburi $2,157
Phuket $3,154

Living in Ratchaburi costs roughly 26% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ratchaburi 30% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.35 ฿113

$4.47 ฿151

-25.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.38 ฿1,228

$32.41 ฿1,094

12.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 ฿301

$8.81 ฿297

1.25%

Cappuccino

$1.96 ฿66.3

$2.83 ฿95.5

-30.74%

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

$0.68 ฿22.81

$0.87 ฿29.43

-21.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.58

$0.49 ฿16.67

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ฿77.3

$2.56 ฿86.4

-10.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿91.0

$3.68 ฿124

-26.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.9

$1.66 ฿56.0

4.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.97

$1.46 ฿49.35

1.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.17

$1.50 ฿50.6

-8.67%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.8

$2.09 ฿70.5

4.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.62 ฿528

$19.07 ฿644

-18.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.64 ฿89.1

$3.30 ฿111

-20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ฿350

$10.91 ฿368

-5.13%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 ฿114

$2.93 ฿99.0

14.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.93

$1.69 ฿57.1

-28.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 ฿63.1

$2.25 ฿75.8

-16.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 ฿64.0

$2.08 ฿70.1

-9.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 ฿42.12

$1.51 ฿51.0

-17.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ฿35.37

$1.38 ฿46.56

-23.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ฿42.33

$1.07 ฿35.99

16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.11

$0.52 ฿17.52

-13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ฿144

$4.20 ฿142

1.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.14 ฿612

$18.79 ฿634

-3.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿59.4

$1.82 ฿61.5

-3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿98.0

$2.84 ฿95.9

2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿29.63

$1.45 ฿49.03

-39.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ฿44.03

$3.02 ฿102

-56.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 ฿36.71

$1.02 ฿34.36

6.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 ฿123

$3.69 ฿125

-1.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.47 ฿49.81

2.04%

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

$46.0K ฿1.6M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

71.84%

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

$27.3K ฿922.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

2.37%

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

$91.0 ฿3,072

$96.4 ฿3,254

-5.58%

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

$11.51 ฿389

$11.26 ฿380

2.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.38 ฿655

$16.85 ฿569

15.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.43 ฿1,568

$67.2 ฿2,270

-30.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 ฿448

$10.73 ฿362

23.58%

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 ฿260

$7.50 ฿253

2.80%

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

$623 ฿21.1K

$476 ฿16.1K

31.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K ฿480.9K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

26.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 ฿1,742

$62.4 ฿2,106

-17.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.77 ฿972

$28.41 ฿959

1.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 ฿3,152

$94.3 ฿3,184

-1.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 ฿2,556

$85.8 ฿2,898

-11.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 ฿14.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-40.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 ฿10.1K

$491 ฿16.6K

-38.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 ฿39.6K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-39.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 ฿23.4K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-51.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,959 ฿66.2K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-53.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,435 ฿48.5K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-52.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.57

7.00%

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

Last update for Ratchaburi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ratchaburi

$301 31.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 63.4% $190

Groceries & Markets

Ratchaburi

$246 25.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 8.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratchaburi

$122 12.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 2.1% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Ratchaburi

$112 11.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.6% $9.7

Eating Out

Ratchaburi

$98 10.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 24.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Ratchaburi

$62 6.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 33% $20

Getting Around

Ratchaburi

$10 * 1.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 589% $60

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 $424 in Ratchaburi and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Ratchaburi vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $246 vs $266, with Ratchaburi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Ratchaburi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:39 1:39 AM

Same time as Ratchaburi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,208

79,308

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ratchaburi Phuket 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ratchaburi
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

Ratchaburi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ratchaburi is cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. The 34% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,425 in Ratchaburi 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $424 in Ratchaburi versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $623 in Ratchaburi 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 $36 in Ratchaburi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ratchaburi 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, Ratchaburi 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.