Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Udon Thani and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Udon Thani: $832 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

40

Cost of Living Index in Udon Thani
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Udon Thani Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Udon Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$832

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Udon Thani versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Udon Thani $832
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,352 in Udon Thani versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Udon Thani $1,352
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,873 in Udon Thani versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Udon Thani $1,873
Phuket $2,867

Living in Udon Thani costs roughly 31% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Udon Thani 38% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.31 ฿77.3

$4.58 ฿153

-49.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.97 ฿935

$32.48 ฿1,086

-13.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 ฿392

$8.55 ฿286

37.31%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.72 ฿91.0

-44.12%

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

$0.73 ฿24.33

$0.94 ฿31.25

-22.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ฿9.30

$0.49 ฿16.39

-42.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ฿57.9

$2.59 ฿86.6

-33.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 ฿78.9

$3.83 ฿128

-38.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.58 ฿86.3

$1.74 ฿58.1

48.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.13

$1.43 ฿47.82

0.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.27

$1.53 ฿51.0

-5.88%

Eggs

$1.52 ฿50.9

$2.17 ฿72.7

-29.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.61 ฿589

$19.15 ฿640

-8.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.56 ฿85.5

$3.30 ฿110

-22.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 ฿464

$11.14 ฿372

24.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿79.9

$2.95 ฿98.5

-18.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 ฿32.79

$1.68 ฿56.1

-41.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 ฿68.1

$2.30 ฿76.8

-11.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.13 ฿71.3

-3.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.53 ฿51.1

-1.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.27

$1.36 ฿45.55

-22.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ฿40.97

$1.12 ฿37.44

9.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ฿20.18

$0.55 ฿18.24

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 ฿143

$4.26 ฿142

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$37.19 ฿1,243

$18.19 ฿608

104.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.1

$1.74 ฿58.2

1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ฿67.3

$2.79 ฿93.3

-27.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 ฿20.07

$2.22 ฿74.1

-72.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.24 ฿342

$22.06 ฿737

-53.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ฿34.04

$2.91 ฿97.3

-64.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 ฿47.59

$1.01 ฿33.79

40.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.09 ฿337

$3.83 ฿128

163.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ฿39.62

$1.49 ฿49.85

-20.13%

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

$41.8K ฿1.4M

$26.7K ฿891.6K

56.64%

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

$33.0K ฿1.1M

$26.7K ฿892.7K

23.42%

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

$61.6 ฿2,058

$99.4 ฿3,321

-38.04%

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

$14.55 ฿486

$11.28 ฿377

28.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.12 ฿739

$17.36 ฿580

27.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 ฿3,045

$52.3 ฿1,747

74.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.21 ฿275

$10.85 ฿362

-24.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 ฿150

$7.57 ฿253

-40.69%

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

$200 ฿6,699

$558 ฿18.7K

-64.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K ฿339.6K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-11.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.46 ฿1,452

$62.9 ฿2,102

-30.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 ฿1,791

$28.58 ฿955

87.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ฿2,374

$96.1 ฿3,213

-26.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.2 ฿2,580

$88.1 ฿2,943

-12.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$175 ฿5,861

$729 ฿24.4K

-75.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 ฿3,718

$460 ฿15.4K

-75.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$384 ฿12.8K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-81.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 ฿10.2K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-74.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,152 ฿38.5K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-66.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$411 ฿13.7K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-83.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$766 ฿25.6K

$493 ฿16.5K

55.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.96

5.57

42.91%

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

Last update for Udon Thani: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Udon Thani

$302 36.3%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 11.3% $34

Accommodation & Living

Udon Thani

$111 13.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 313% $349

Clothing & Footwear

Udon Thani

$110 13.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 12.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Udon Thani

$100 12%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 32.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Udon Thani

$98 11.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 30.3% $30

Eating Out

Udon Thani

$89 10.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 35.8% $32

Getting Around

Udon Thani

$21 2.5%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 87.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $175 in Udon Thani and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Udon Thani pays 55% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28.00 in Udon Thani vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $268, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Udon Thani

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

Same time as Udon Thani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,531

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Udon Thani Phuket 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Udon Thani
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

Udon Thani vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Udon Thani is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and transport. The 45% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 55% higher in Udon Thani, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $175 in Udon Thani versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $200 in Udon Thani versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 13% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $832 in Udon Thani versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Udon Thani but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Udon Thani the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Udon Thani 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 Udon Thani gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.