Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tongi and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tongi: $330 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

16

Cost of Living Index in Tongi
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Tongi Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Tongi

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$330

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $330 in Tongi versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Tongi $330
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $535 in Tongi versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Tongi $535
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $740 in Tongi versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Tongi $740
Phuket $3,154

Living in Tongi costs roughly 74% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tongi 76% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.07 ৳256

$4.47 ฿151

-53.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.47 ৳1,175

$32.41 ฿1,094

-70.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 ৳576

$8.81 ฿297

-47.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ৳287

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ৳472

Cappuccino

$1.91 ৳237

$2.83 ฿95.5

-32.51%

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

$0.30 ৳36.83

$0.87 ฿29.43

-65.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ৳16.11

$0.49 ฿16.67

-73.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 ৳93.0

$1.66 ฿56.0

-54.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ৳64.0

$1.46 ฿49.35

-64.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 ৳76.2

$1.50 ฿50.6

-59.33%

Eggs

$1.11 ৳137

$2.09 ฿70.5

-46.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.46 ৳925

$19.07 ฿644

-60.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.95 ৳242

$3.30 ฿111

-40.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.13 ৳760

$10.91 ฿368

-43.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ৳298

$2.93 ฿99.0

-18.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 ৳91.0

$1.69 ฿57.1

-56.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ৳282

$2.25 ฿75.8

0.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 ৳88.3

$2.08 ฿70.1

-65.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ৳28.09

$1.51 ฿51.0

-84.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 ৳59.9

$1.38 ฿46.56

-65.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 ৳61.9

$1.07 ฿35.99

-53.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 ৳31.10

$0.52 ฿17.52

-51.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$8.00 ৳992

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 ৳299

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 ৳595

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.90 ৳360

$4.20 ฿142

-30.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ৳50.9

$1.45 ฿49.03

-71.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ৳98.6

$3.02 ฿102

-73.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.44 ৳54.3

$1.02 ฿34.36

-56.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 ৳346

$3.69 ฿125

-24.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ৳147

$1.47 ฿49.81

-19.73%

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

$32.4K ৳4.0M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

21.13%

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

$36.5K ৳4.5M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

36.76%

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

$30.11 ৳3,735

$96.4 ฿3,254

-68.75%

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

$4.39 ৳544

$11.26 ฿380

-61.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.94 ৳984

$16.85 ฿569

-52.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.75 ৳1,705

$67.2 ฿2,270

-79.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$3.62 ৳449

$7.50 ฿253

-51.73%

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

$25.80 ৳3,201

$476 ฿16.1K

-94.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,531 ৳190.0K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-86.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.41 ৳2,656

$62.4 ฿2,106

-65.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.90 ৳2,964

$28.41 ฿959

-15.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.41 ৳4,020

$94.3 ฿3,184

-65.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.08 ৳4,104

$85.8 ฿2,898

-61.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$87.5 ৳10.8K

$716 ฿24.2K

-87.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$50.9 ৳6,314

$491 ฿16.6K

-89.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$171 ৳21.2K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-91.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ৳14.1K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-92.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$644 ৳79.9K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-84.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$100 ৳12.4K

$502 ฿17.0K

-80.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

5.57

91.56%

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

Last update for Tongi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tongi

$106 32.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 152% $161

Eating Out

Tongi

$55 16.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 121% $67

Accommodation & Living

Tongi

$51 15.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 864% $440

Clothing & Footwear

Tongi

$50 15.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 145% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tongi

$42 12.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 193% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Tongi

$21 6.4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 292% $61

Getting Around

Tongi

$4.6 * 1.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 1428% $66

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 $87 in Tongi and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $9 in Tongi vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $106 vs $266 per month, with Tongi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Tongi

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:03 12:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

1 h ahead of Tongi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

406,420

79,308

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tongi Phuket 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Tongi
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

Tongi vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tongi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 288% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 80% lower in Tongi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $87 in Tongi versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $26 in Tongi 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 Tongi – a meal for two runs $9 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $330 in Tongi versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Tongi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tongi 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.

It comes down to priorities – Tongi wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.