Cost of Living Comparison Between Soustons and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Soustons and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,846 in Soustons versus $1,270 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,904 in Soustons versus $2,304 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,961 in Soustons versus $3,339 in Phuket.

Living in Soustons is roughly 45% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Soustons is 38% above, Phuket is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.24 €14.71

$4.66 ฿150

269.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 €58.2

$46.44 ฿1,496

47.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.65 €10.79

$8.68 ฿280

45.74%

Cappuccino

$3.51 €3.00

$2.95 ฿95.0

18.98%

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

$2.66 €2.27

$0.70 ฿22.52

280.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.44

$0.39 ฿12.70

330.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 €6.75

$2.53 ฿81.6

212.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.89 €5.03

$3.78 ฿122

55.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.11

$2.22 ฿71.5

-41.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 €0.51

$1.80 ฿57.8

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.13

$2.19 ฿70.4

14.16%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.70

$2.31 ฿74.5

36.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.98 €21.31

$19.34 ฿623

29.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.27 €12.17

$3.77 ฿121

278.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.14 €15.48

$13.22 ฿426

37.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 €2.74

$3.33 ฿107

-3.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.96 €2.52

$1.65 ฿53.1

79.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.32 €2.83

$2.29 ฿73.7

44.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 €2.94

$1.99 ฿64.1

72.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 €2.00

$1.53 ฿49.24

53.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 €2.45

$1.51 ฿48.77

90.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.20

$1.03 ฿33.12

36.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.76

$0.51 ฿16.57

74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.70 €12.54

$4.41 ฿142

233.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.11 €6.06

$19.41 ฿625

-63.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.30

$1.80 ฿58.0

115.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 €2.60

$2.68 ฿86.4

13.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.66

$1.43 ฿46.11

35.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.00 €41.80

$11.70 ฿377

318.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 €2.58

$3.04 ฿97.9

-0.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 €1.17

$1.04 ฿33.37

31.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.46 €35.37

$13.68 ฿441

203.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.76

$1.30 ฿41.85

58.46%

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

$37.7K €32.2K

$27.9K ฿898.9K

35.13%

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

$39.7K €33.8K

$33.0K ฿1.1M

20.02%

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

$189 €161

$123 ฿3,962

53.83%

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

$22.52 €19.21

$13.82 ฿445

62.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.22 €30.90

$18.86 ฿608

92.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.33 €32.70

$61.2 ฿1,970

-37.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.09 €15.43

$16.81 ฿541

7.61%

Cinema Ticket

$14.04 €11.98

$8.87 ฿286

58.29%

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

$872 €743

$696 ฿22.4K

25.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.1K

$16.1K ฿517.4K

17.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 €104

$59.3 ฿1,910

106.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.16 €41.93

$34.85 ฿1,123

41.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €107

$113 ฿3,646

10.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €139

$85.1 ฿2,740

91.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 €658

$615 ฿19.8K

25.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 €517

$448 ฿14.4K

35.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 €1,166

$2,085 ฿67.2K

-34.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 €910

$1,496 ฿48.2K

-28.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,858 €4,144

$3,734 ฿120.3K

30.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,424 €2,921

$2,662 ฿85.8K

28.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$534 ฿17.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

5.33

-30.39%

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

Last update for Soustons: April 21, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 20, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $772 in Soustons and $615 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Soustons vs $46 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $375 vs $291 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

Soustons 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 45% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,769 in Soustons and $1,904 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: $772 in Soustons versus $615 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $872 in Soustons versus $696 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Soustons. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,270 in Phuket versus $1,846 in Soustons, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Soustons. 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 Soustons, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Soustons 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 45% less than in Soustons. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.