Cost of Living Comparison Between Vac and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Vac and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,099 in Vac versus $1,264 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,780 in Vac versus $2,256 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,462 in Vac versus $3,248 in Phuket.

Living in Vac costs roughly 13% less than in Phuket, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Vac 17% lower, Phuket 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.09 Ft 2,876

$4.48 ฿150

102.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.56 Ft 14.7K

$45.59 ฿1,525

2.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.71 Ft 2,755

$8.76 ฿293

-0.57%

Cappuccino

$2.15 Ft 679

$2.97 ฿99.3

-27.61%

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

$1.39 Ft 438

$0.69 ฿22.96

101.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 Ft 326

$0.39 ฿13.07

164.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 Ft 585

$2.53 ฿84.7

-26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 Ft 720

$3.75 ฿125

-39.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 Ft 334

$2.15 ฿71.8

-50.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 Ft 498

$1.82 ฿60.7

-13.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 Ft 606

$2.18 ฿73.1

-12.39%

Eggs

$2.68 Ft 848

$2.25 ฿75.2

19.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 Ft 2,914

$20.00 ฿669

-53.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 Ft 1,855

$3.63 ฿121

61.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.80 Ft 3,733

$13.56 ฿453

-12.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 571

$3.24 ฿109

-44.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 Ft 598

$1.64 ฿54.7

15.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 Ft 641

$2.33 ฿78.0

-12.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.11 Ft 983

$2.07 ฿69.3

50.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 Ft 347

$1.55 ฿51.8

-29.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 Ft 397

$1.46 ฿48.67

-13.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 Ft 473

$0.98 ฿32.94

53.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 Ft 177

$0.48 ฿16.13

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.92 Ft 2,191

$4.35 ฿146

59.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.04 Ft 1,594

$18.57 ฿621

-72.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 Ft 342

$1.86 ฿62.1

-41.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 Ft 460

$2.65 ฿88.8

-45.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 Ft 370

$1.42 ฿47.40

-17.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.18 Ft 7,967

$11.57 ฿387

117.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 Ft 896

$3.17 ฿106

-10.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 Ft 351

$1.03 ฿34.51

7.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 Ft 5,372

$13.89 ฿465

22.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.68 Ft 530

$1.34 ฿44.96

25.37%

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

$26.1K Ft 8.3M

$27.8K ฿929.6K

-5.94%

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

$30.5K Ft 9.6M

$33.4K ฿1.1M

-8.71%

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

$140 Ft 44.4K

$123 ฿4,116

14.13%

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

$26.41 Ft 8,356

$13.77 ฿461

91.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.91 Ft 6,300

$18.33 ฿613

8.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.20 Ft 14.9K

$60.7 ฿2,030

-22.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.78 Ft 5,307

$17.16 ฿574

-2.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 Ft 2,317

$8.87 ฿297

-17.47%

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

$294 Ft 93.1K

$688 ฿23.0K

-57.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,817 Ft 2.2M

$15.8K ฿527.8K

-56.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.1 Ft 22.2K

$59.3 ฿1,984

18.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.90 Ft 8,511

$34.69 ฿1,160

-22.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 Ft 23.5K

$115 ฿3,853

-35.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 Ft 26.9K

$83.8 ฿2,802

1.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 Ft 135.2K

$621 ฿20.8K

-31.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 Ft 108.5K

$446 ฿14.9K

-23.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$780 Ft 246.7K

$2,034 ฿68.0K

-61.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 Ft 229.5K

$1,496 ฿50.0K

-51.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,140 Ft 993.4K

$3,455 ฿115.6K

-9.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,368 Ft 749.3K

$2,531 ฿84.7K

-6.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,462 Ft 462.7K

$494 ฿16.5K

196.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.4

5.33

38.84%

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

Last update for Vac: July 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $427 in Vac and $621 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vac pays 196% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $47.00 in Vac vs $46.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $218 vs $291, with Vac cheaper for home cooking.

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

Vac vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vac is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment. The 15% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 196% higher in Vac, 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: $427 in Vac versus $621 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $294 in Vac versus $688 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,099 in Vac versus $1,264 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Vac but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Vac the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Vac 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, Vac 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 Vac gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.