Cost of Living Comparison Between Sale and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Sale and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,277 in Sale versus $1,223 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,271 in Sale versus $2,237 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,265 in Sale versus $3,251 in Phuket.

Living in Sale is roughly 86% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sale is 71% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.40 A$23.20

$4.51 ฿147

263.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.4 A$112

$46.62 ฿1,515

70.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 A$14.04

$8.49 ฿276

16.84%

Cappuccino

$3.34 A$4.73

$3.08 ฿100

8.44%

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

$2.49 A$3.52

$0.68 ฿22.07

266.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 A$3.00

$0.36 ฿11.75

488.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.69 A$9.47

$2.43 ฿78.8

175.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 A$10.36

$3.63 ฿118

101.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 A$2.09

$2.19 ฿71.1

-32.42%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 A$3.41

$1.81 ฿59.0

33.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.79

$2.23 ฿72.5

-11.66%

Eggs

$4.35 A$6.15

$2.24 ฿72.7

94.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.45 A$11.95

$19.60 ฿637

-56.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.60 A$12.17

$3.72 ฿121

131.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.87 A$19.63

$13.47 ฿438

2.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 A$4.74

$3.36 ฿109

-0.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 A$3.93

$1.62 ฿52.5

71.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 A$4.18

$2.41 ฿78.3

22.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 A$5.65

$1.99 ฿64.6

101.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 A$3.43

$1.53 ฿49.76

58.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 A$3.04

$1.45 ฿47.19

48.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 A$2.97

$1.01 ฿32.96

107.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 A$2.22

$0.48 ฿15.73

227.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.78 A$43.54

$4.27 ฿139

620.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.00 A$18.40

$19.12 ฿621

-32.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.46 A$6.31

$1.84 ฿59.7

142.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.44 A$7.69

$2.74 ฿89.1

98.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 A$3.78

$1.42 ฿46.06

88.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.2 A$93.6

$11.72 ฿381

464.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 A$5.02

$3.00 ฿97.6

18.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.21

$1.05 ฿34.00

48.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.33 A$47.16

$13.90 ฿452

139.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 A$1.63

$1.29 ฿41.94

-10.85%

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

$29.3K A$41.5K

$28.0K ฿911.1K

4.64%

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

$22.4K A$31.7K

$33.5K ฿1.1M

-33.04%

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

$184 A$260

$122 ฿3,964

50.77%

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

$27.16 A$38.42

$13.93 ฿453

94.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 A$73.2

$18.87 ฿613

174.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.16 A$69.5

$61.3 ฿1,992

-19.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.78 A$22.32

$16.84 ฿547

-6.29%

Cinema Ticket

$13.10 A$18.54

$8.89 ฿289

47.36%

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

$1,650 A$2,334

$691 ฿22.5K

138.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K A$16.7K

$16.2K ฿525.2K

-26.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 A$97.8

$57.8 ฿1,878

19.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 A$72.7

$35.39 ฿1,150

45.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 A$141

$113 ฿3,685

-12.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$149

$83.0 ฿2,698

27.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,808

$607 ฿19.7K

110.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 A$1,521

$448 ฿14.6K

139.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,995 A$2,822

$2,029 ฿66.0K

-1.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 A$2,328

$1,493 ฿48.5K

10.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,755 A$9,556

$3,585 ฿116.5K

88.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,808 A$8,217

$2,585 ฿84.0K

124.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ฿16.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

5.33

18.95%

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

Last update for Sale: June 14, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,278 in Sale and $607 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $79.0 in Sale vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $337 vs $292 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Sale vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 86% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,415 in Sale and $1,835 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: $1,278 in Sale versus $607 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,650 in Sale versus $691 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Sale. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,223 in Phuket versus $2,277 in Sale, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sale. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sale, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sale 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Sale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.