Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sakon Nakhon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Sakon Nakhon: $896 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Sakon Nakhon
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Sakon Nakhon Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sakon Nakhon

🇹🇭 Thailand

$896

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $896 in Sakon Nakhon versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Sakon Nakhon $896
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,416 in Sakon Nakhon versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Sakon Nakhon $1,416
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,937 in Sakon Nakhon versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Sakon Nakhon $1,937
Phuket $3,154

Living in Sakon Nakhon costs roughly 30% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sakon Nakhon 34% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.46 ฿49.20

$4.47 ฿151

-67.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.98 ฿505

$32.41 ฿1,092

-53.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.89 ฿97.5

$8.81 ฿297

-67.20%

Cappuccino

$1.46 ฿49.23

$2.83 ฿95.3

-48.41%

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

$0.73 ฿24.55

$0.87 ฿29.37

-16.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ฿8.38

$0.49 ฿16.64

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 ฿67.9

$2.56 ฿86.2

-21.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ฿71.5

$3.68 ฿124

-42.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.38 ฿80.1

$1.66 ฿55.9

43.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.46 ฿49.25

-12.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.73

$1.50 ฿50.4

-19.33%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.7

$2.09 ฿70.4

0.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 ฿354

$19.07 ฿642

-44.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.48 ฿83.7

$3.30 ฿111

-24.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 ฿350

$10.91 ฿368

-4.86%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 ฿105

$2.93 ฿98.7

6.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 ฿39.24

$1.69 ฿56.9

-31.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.9

$2.25 ฿75.7

-5.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 ฿62.8

$2.08 ฿70.0

-10.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.20

$1.51 ฿50.9

-3.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.72

$1.38 ฿46.47

5.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 ฿18.25

$1.07 ฿35.91

-49.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.10

$0.52 ฿17.49

-1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 ฿147

$4.20 ฿142

3.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.49 ฿589

$18.79 ฿633

-6.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.82 ฿61.4

-8.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ฿93.0

$2.84 ฿95.7

-2.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.25

$1.45 ฿48.93

-40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$3.02 ฿102

-51.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.02 ฿34.29

7.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 ฿181

$3.69 ฿124

45.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ฿42.54

$1.47 ฿49.70

-14.29%

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

$26.3K ฿887.7K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-1.63%

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

$27.4K ฿921.7K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

2.47%

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

$83.2 ฿2,803

$96.4 ฿3,247

-13.67%

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

$10.13 ฿342

$11.26 ฿380

-10.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.68 ฿528

$16.85 ฿568

-6.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.92 ฿1,649

$67.2 ฿2,266

-27.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.06 ฿407

$10.73 ฿361

12.40%

Cinema Ticket

$3.54 ฿119

$7.50 ฿253

-52.80%

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

$660 ฿22.2K

$476 ฿16.0K

38.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ฿370.3K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-2.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.47 ฿656

$62.4 ฿2,102

-68.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$6.67 ฿225

$28.41 ฿957

-76.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ฿3,988

$94.3 ฿3,178

25.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 ฿2,497

$85.8 ฿2,892

-13.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$410 ฿13.8K

$716 ฿24.1K

-42.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ฿11.3K

$491 ฿16.5K

-31.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,219 ฿41.1K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-36.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$752 ฿25.4K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-47.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,173 ฿73.2K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-47.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,814 ฿61.1K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-40.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$741 ฿25.0K

$502 ฿16.9K

47.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Sakon Nakhon: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sakon Nakhon

$336 37.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 46% $155

Groceries & Markets

Sakon Nakhon

$230 25.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 16% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sakon Nakhon

$109 12.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 14.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Sakon Nakhon

$98 11%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 23.9% $24

Eating Out

Sakon Nakhon

$56 6.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 117% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Sakon Nakhon

$56 6.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 46.9% $26

Getting Around

Sakon Nakhon

$10 * 1.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 575% $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 $410 in Sakon Nakhon and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sakon Nakhon pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $15 in Sakon Nakhon vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $266 per month, with Sakon Nakhon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Sakon Nakhon

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:55 8:55 AM

Same time as Sakon Nakhon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,100

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sakon Nakhon Phuket 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sakon Nakhon
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

Sakon Nakhon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sakon Nakhon is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Sakon Nakhon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $410 in Sakon Nakhon versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $660 in Sakon Nakhon 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 Sakon Nakhon – a meal for two runs $15 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $896 in Sakon Nakhon versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Sakon Nakhon but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Sakon Nakhon 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, Sakon Nakhon and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.