Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Sakhon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Samut Sakhon: $935 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Samut Sakhon
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Samut Sakhon Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Samut Sakhon

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Samut Sakhon versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Samut Sakhon $935
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,504 in Samut Sakhon versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Samut Sakhon $1,504
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,074 in Samut Sakhon versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Samut Sakhon $2,074
Phuket $3,115

Living in Samut Sakhon costs roughly 28% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Samut Sakhon 31% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.74 ฿58.7

$4.39 ฿148

-60.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.65 ฿595

$32.31 ฿1,089

-45.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 ฿197

$8.70 ฿293

-32.87%

Cappuccino

$1.18 ฿39.68

$2.72 ฿91.8

-56.62%

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

$0.37 ฿12.61

$0.93 ฿31.35

-60.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ฿9.15

$0.50 ฿16.83

-46.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 ฿63.9

$2.53 ฿85.3

-24.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ฿90.8

$3.63 ฿122

-25.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ฿52.8

$1.74 ฿58.6

-9.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.63

$1.45 ฿48.89

-2.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ฿47.20

$1.50 ฿50.6

-6.67%

Eggs

$2.22 ฿74.9

$2.17 ฿73.2

2.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.45 ฿521

$19.09 ฿643

-19.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.53 ฿85.3

$3.40 ฿115

-25.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 ฿342

$10.90 ฿367

-6.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 ฿119

$2.94 ฿99.1

20.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.31

$1.69 ฿57.0

-28.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 ฿62.2

$2.19 ฿73.9

-15.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 ฿63.0

$2.12 ฿71.6

-11.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ฿41.56

$1.46 ฿49.15

-15.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.10

$1.37 ฿46.10

-24.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ฿41.14

$1.08 ฿36.26

12.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ฿14.43

$0.55 ฿18.38

-21.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.22 ฿142

$4.43 ฿149

-4.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.14 ฿611

$18.25 ฿615

-0.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.77 ฿59.7

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ฿99.4

$2.88 ฿97.1

2.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ฿13.06

$1.45 ฿48.78

-73.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,850

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ฿35.46

$1.51 ฿51.0

-30.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 ฿37.80

$0.78 ฿26.14

43.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ฿122

$3.84 ฿129

-5.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ฿39.52

$1.49 ฿50.1

-21.48%

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

$44.9K ฿1.5M

$26.9K ฿905.9K

67.13%

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

$27.0K ฿910.2K

$26.3K ฿887.8K

2.52%

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

$93.8 ฿3,160

$97.8 ฿3,296

-4.13%

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

$11.33 ฿382

$11.29 ฿381

0.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 ฿642

$17.19 ฿579

10.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 ฿1,695

$68.3 ฿2,303

-26.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.99 ฿505

$10.92 ฿368

37.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 ฿260

$7.43 ฿250

3.90%

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

$619 ฿20.8K

$530 ฿17.9K

16.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K ฿717.6K

$18.8K ฿632.9K

13.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.60 ฿1,672

$61.7 ฿2,078

-19.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.66 ฿999

$28.25 ฿952

4.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.1 ฿3,137

$96.0 ฿3,235

-3.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.5 ฿2,578

$86.8 ฿2,926

-11.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$721 ฿24.3K

-29.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ฿10.8K

$509 ฿17.1K

-37.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 ฿39.0K

$1,950 ฿65.7K

-40.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 ฿26.1K

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-44.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,033 ฿68.5K

$4,192 ฿141.3K

-51.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,580 ฿53.2K

$3,298 ฿111.2K

-52.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

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 Samut Sakhon: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samut Sakhon

$320 34.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 59.1% $189

Groceries & Markets

Samut Sakhon

$242 25.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 10.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samut Sakhon

$124 13.3%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 1.7% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Samut Sakhon

$112 12%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 9.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Samut Sakhon

$66 7%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 26.5% $17

Eating Out

Samut Sakhon

$63 6.7%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 89.7% $57

Getting Around

Samut Sakhon

$8.2 * 0.9%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 705% $58

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 $509 in Samut Sakhon and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18 in Samut Sakhon vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $242 vs $267 per month, with Samut Sakhon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Samut Sakhon

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

Same time as Samut Sakhon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,515

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

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Between locations

Samut Sakhon Phuket 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Samut Sakhon
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

Samut Sakhon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samut Sakhon is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,402 in Samut Sakhon and $1,940 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: $509 in Samut Sakhon versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $619 in Samut Sakhon versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

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, Samut Sakhon and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.