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: $2,245 in Sale versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,283 in Sale versus $2,255 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,321 in Sale versus $3,279 in Phuket.

Living in Sale is roughly 82% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sale is 68% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.17 A$22.47

$4.63 ฿151

249.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 A$110

$46.84 ฿1,523

68.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 A$13.22

$8.84 ฿287

7.58%

Cappuccino

$3.42 A$4.75

$3.00 ฿97.4

14.00%

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

$2.54 A$3.53

$0.74 ฿24.11

243.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 A$2.92

$0.37 ฿11.88

467.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 A$9.17

$2.44 ฿79.3

170.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 A$10.13

$3.61 ฿117

101.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.08

$2.26 ฿73.5

-34.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 A$3.37

$1.84 ฿59.8

32.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 A$2.82

$2.24 ฿73.0

-9.38%

Eggs

$4.30 A$5.98

$2.32 ฿75.3

85.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 A$11.76

$19.67 ฿639

-56.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.29 A$11.52

$3.65 ฿119

127.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.86 A$19.26

$13.10 ฿426

5.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.41

$3.39 ฿110

-6.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 A$3.99

$1.64 ฿53.4

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 A$4.05

$2.41 ฿78.5

21.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.23 A$5.87

$2.03 ฿66.0

108.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.52

$1.56 ฿50.6

62.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 A$2.92

$1.50 ฿48.66

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 A$3.03

$1.02 ฿33.30

113.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 A$2.17

$0.49 ฿15.91

218.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.17 A$43.32

$4.45 ฿145

600.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.24 A$19.79

$18.88 ฿614

-24.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.64 A$6.45

$1.78 ฿57.7

160.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 A$7.33

$2.75 ฿89.5

91.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 A$3.52

$1.40 ฿45.54

80.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 A$88.8

$11.48 ฿373

456.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 A$4.95

$3.12 ฿101

14.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 A$2.25

$1.00 ฿32.48

62.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.45 A$46.49

$14.09 ฿458

137.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.65

$1.35 ฿43.93

-11.85%

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

$29.3K A$40.7K

$27.2K ฿883.7K

7.74%

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

$22.2K A$30.8K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

-32.66%

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

$183 A$255

$125 ฿4,063

46.78%

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

$27.34 A$38.00

$13.57 ฿441

101.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 A$74.4

$18.52 ฿602

188.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.16 A$67.0

$61.5 ฿1,999

-21.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.57 A$21.64

$16.84 ฿547

-7.54%

Cinema Ticket

$12.90 A$17.93

$9.19 ฿299

40.37%

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

$1,628 A$2,263

$698 ฿22.7K

133.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K A$16.8K

$15.6K ฿506.9K

-22.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 A$92.8

$57.8 ฿1,878

15.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 A$71.5

$35.24 ฿1,146

45.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 A$137

$113 ฿3,677

-13.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$147

$86.4 ฿2,808

22.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 A$1,771

$616 ฿20.0K

106.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,050 A$1,460

$446 ฿14.5K

135.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,017 A$2,803

$2,048 ฿66.6K

-1.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,326

$1,492 ฿48.5K

12.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,850 A$9,522

$3,779 ฿122.8K

81.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,446 A$7,570

$2,649 ฿86.1K

105.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.0K

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: April 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,274 in Sale and $616 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 $340 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 82% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,368 in Sale and $1,847 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: $1,274 in Sale versus $616 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,628 in Sale versus $698 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 $1,232 in Phuket versus $2,245 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 82% less than in Sale. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.