Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rayong and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Rayong: $940 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Rayong
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Rayong Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rayong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$940

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $940 in Rayong versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Rayong $940
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,192 in Rayong versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Rayong $1,192
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,444 in Rayong versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Rayong $1,444
Phuket $3,154

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Rayong 31% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.99 ฿101

$4.47 ฿151

-33.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.80 ฿600

$32.41 ฿1,093

-45.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 ฿254

$8.81 ฿297

-14.53%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.6

$2.83 ฿95.4

-40.64%

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

$0.52 ฿17.41

$0.87 ฿29.41

-40.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ฿9.48

$0.49 ฿16.65

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 ฿58.8

$2.56 ฿86.3

-32.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 ฿102

$3.68 ฿124

-18.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ฿64.2

$1.66 ฿55.9

14.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ฿44.43

$1.46 ฿49.31

-9.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ฿47.27

$1.50 ฿50.5

-6.67%

Eggs

$2.48 ฿83.7

$2.09 ฿70.5

18.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.25 ฿582

$19.07 ฿643

-9.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.86 ฿96.3

$3.30 ฿111

-13.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.00 ฿439

$10.91 ฿368

19.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 ฿111

$2.93 ฿98.9

12.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ฿58.5

$1.69 ฿57.0

2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ฿76.4

$2.25 ฿75.8

0.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 ฿63.6

$2.08 ฿70.0

-9.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.51 ฿51.0

11.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 ฿49.90

$1.38 ฿46.52

7.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 ฿43.05

$1.07 ฿35.96

19.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.14

$0.52 ฿17.51

-7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.76 ฿161

$4.20 ฿142

13.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 ฿497

$18.79 ฿634

-21.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.7

$1.82 ฿61.5

-2.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 ฿110

$2.84 ฿95.8

14.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ฿35.89

$3.02 ฿102

-64.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.20 ฿40.46

$1.02 ฿34.33

17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 ฿206

$3.69 ฿125

65.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ฿47.13

$1.47 ฿49.76

-4.76%

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

$30.6K ฿1.0M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

14.38%

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

$26.5K ฿892.4K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-0.90%

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

$44.92 ฿1,516

$96.4 ฿3,251

-53.38%

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

$14.62 ฿493

$11.26 ฿380

29.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.77 ฿397

$16.85 ฿568

-30.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

-0.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.41 ฿588

$10.73 ฿362

62.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.63 ฿224

$7.50 ฿253

-11.60%

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

$788 ฿26.6K

$476 ฿16.1K

65.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ฿556.4K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

46.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 ฿2,341

$62.4 ฿2,104

11.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.09 ฿1,454

$28.41 ฿958

51.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.1 ฿3,310

$94.3 ฿3,181

4.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 ฿3,476

$85.8 ฿2,895

20.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 ฿14.2K

$716 ฿24.2K

-41.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 ฿9,902

$491 ฿16.6K

-40.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,999 ฿67.5K

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-34.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$460 ฿15.5K

$502 ฿16.9K

-8.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Rayong: 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

Rayong

$293 31.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 67.3% $197

Groceries & Markets

Rayong

$262 27.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 1.7% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Rayong

$141 15%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 13.6% $19

Eating Out

Rayong

$85 9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 43.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Rayong

$80 8.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 2.2% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rayong

$71 7.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 74.5% $53

Getting Around

Rayong

$7.1 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 900% $64

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 $421 in Rayong and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $18 in Rayong vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $266 per month, with Rayong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Rayong

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

Same time as Rayong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,565

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rayong Phuket 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rayong
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

Rayong vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rayong is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Rayong. 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: $421 in Rayong versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Rayong – a meal for two runs $18 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $788 in Rayong versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $940 in Rayong versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Rayong but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rayong 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, Rayong and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Rayong wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.