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: $1,136 in Vac versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,780 in Vac versus $2,255 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,424 in Vac versus $3,279 in Phuket.

Living in Vac costs roughly 8% less than in Phuket, driven mainly by Groceries & Markets.

Both cities sit below the global median: Vac 15% lower, Phuket 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.82 Ft 2,753

$4.63 ฿151

90.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.76 Ft 14.3K

$46.84 ฿1,532

-2.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.75 Ft 2,729

$8.84 ฿289

-1.02%

Cappuccino

$2.09 Ft 651

$3.00 ฿98.0

-30.33%

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

$1.38 Ft 431

$0.74 ฿24.25

86.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 Ft 338

$0.37 ฿11.95

191.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 Ft 594

$2.44 ฿79.8

-22.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 Ft 680

$3.61 ฿118

-39.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 Ft 342

$2.26 ฿73.9

-51.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 Ft 465

$1.84 ฿60.1

-19.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 Ft 567

$2.24 ฿73.4

-18.75%

Eggs

$2.69 Ft 838

$2.32 ฿75.7

15.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 Ft 2,974

$19.67 ฿643

-51.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.84 Ft 1,823

$3.65 ฿119

60.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.59 Ft 3,618

$13.10 ฿428

-11.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 Ft 564

$3.39 ฿111

-46.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 Ft 602

$1.64 ฿53.7

17.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 Ft 632

$2.41 ฿79.0

-16.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 Ft 942

$2.03 ฿66.4

48.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 Ft 354

$1.56 ฿50.9

-26.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 Ft 393

$1.50 ฿48.94

-16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Ft 487

$1.02 ฿33.50

52.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Ft 163

$0.49 ฿16.00

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.68 Ft 2,086

$4.45 ฿145

50.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.16 Ft 1,611

$18.88 ฿617

-72.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 Ft 338

$1.78 ฿58.1

-39.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 Ft 444

$2.75 ฿90.1

-48.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 Ft 369

$1.40 ฿45.81

-15.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.77 Ft 7,727

$11.48 ฿376

115.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 Ft 903

$3.12 ฿102

-7.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.11 Ft 346

$1.00 ฿32.67

11.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.31 Ft 5,401

$14.09 ฿461

22.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 Ft 551

$1.35 ฿44.19

31.11%

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

$26.0K Ft 8.1M

$27.2K ฿888.9K

-4.41%

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

$31.4K Ft 9.8M

$32.9K ฿1.1M

-4.53%

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

$143 Ft 44.7K

$125 ฿4,087

14.59%

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

$26.24 Ft 8,186

$13.57 ฿444

93.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.77 Ft 6,169

$18.52 ฿606

6.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.69 Ft 14.6K

$61.5 ฿2,010

-24.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 Ft 5,298

$16.84 ฿551

0.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.21 Ft 2,250

$9.19 ฿300

-21.55%

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

$289 Ft 90.2K

$698 ฿22.8K

-58.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,852 Ft 2.1M

$15.6K ฿509.9K

-56.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 Ft 22.5K

$57.8 ฿1,889

24.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.08 Ft 8,448

$35.24 ฿1,152

-23.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 Ft 23.6K

$113 ฿3,699

-33.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 Ft 26.5K

$86.4 ฿2,825

-1.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 Ft 133.1K

$616 ฿20.1K

-30.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 Ft 109.5K

$446 ฿14.6K

-21.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 Ft 247.0K

$2,048 ฿67.0K

-61.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 Ft 224.4K

$1,492 ฿48.8K

-51.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,076 Ft 959.9K

$3,779 ฿123.6K

-18.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,442 Ft 761.8K

$2,649 ฿86.6K

-7.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,499 Ft 467.8K

$524 ฿17.1K

186.24%

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: April 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $426 in Vac and $616 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vac pays 186% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Vac vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $292 per month, with Vac 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

Vac vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vac is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Vac pays 186% more on average, 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: $426 in Vac versus $616 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $289 in Vac versus $698 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,136 in Vac versus $1,232 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 8% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.