Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yala and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $912 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
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Yala Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$912

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $912 in Yala versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Yala $912
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,463 in Yala versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Yala $1,463
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,014 in Yala versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Yala $2,014
Phuket $3,154

Living in Yala costs roughly 29% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yala 33% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.46 ฿49.33

$4.47 ฿151

-67.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 ฿834

$32.41 ฿1,094

-23.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ฿253

$8.81 ฿297

-14.98%

Cappuccino

$1.96 ฿66.0

$2.83 ฿95.5

-30.74%

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

$0.53 ฿17.92

$0.87 ฿29.43

-39.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ฿5.89

$0.49 ฿16.67

-65.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿71.3

$2.56 ฿86.4

-17.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.68 ฿124

-20.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ฿58.1

$1.66 ฿56.0

3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿47.13

$1.46 ฿49.35

-4.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.25

$1.50 ฿50.6

-12.67%

Eggs

$1.99 ฿67.1

$2.09 ฿70.5

-4.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.83 ฿568

$19.07 ฿644

-11.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.68 ฿90.5

$3.30 ฿111

-18.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 ฿348

$10.91 ฿368

-5.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ฿97.3

$2.93 ฿99.0

-1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 ฿35.53

$1.69 ฿57.1

-37.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 ฿74.7

$2.25 ฿75.8

-1.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 ฿65.6

$2.08 ฿70.1

-6.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.3

$1.51 ฿51.0

0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.60

$1.38 ฿46.56

-19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.89

$1.07 ฿35.99

-0.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.61

$0.52 ฿17.52

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 ฿145

$4.20 ฿142

2.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.83 ฿602

$18.79 ฿634

-5.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ฿56.9

$1.82 ฿61.5

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ฿96.6

$2.84 ฿95.9

0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ฿19.61

$1.45 ฿49.03

-60.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.13

$3.02 ฿102

-61.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.17 ฿39.60

$1.02 ฿34.36

14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.91 ฿200

$3.69 ฿125

60.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ฿47.48

$1.47 ฿49.81

-4.08%

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

$26.9K ฿909.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

0.57%

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

$26.8K ฿904.6K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

0.37%

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

$84.3 ฿2,847

$96.4 ฿3,254

-12.49%

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

$12.13 ฿410

$11.26 ฿380

7.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.84 ฿636

$16.85 ฿569

11.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.71 ฿1,611

$67.2 ฿2,270

-29.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.35 ฿451

$10.73 ฿362

24.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 ฿223

$7.50 ฿253

-11.87%

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

$581 ฿19.6K

$476 ฿16.1K

22.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ฿366.8K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-3.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.99 ฿1,688

$62.4 ฿2,106

-19.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.59 ฿999

$28.41 ฿959

4.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.8 ฿2,594

$94.3 ฿3,184

-18.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.3 ฿2,541

$85.8 ฿2,898

-12.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.8K

$716 ฿24.2K

-38.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 ฿10.1K

$491 ฿16.6K

-38.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 ฿38.2K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-41.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 ฿23.1K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-52.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,907 ฿64.4K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-54.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,461 ฿49.3K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-52.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Yala: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yala

$301 32.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 63.4% $190

Groceries & Markets

Yala

$245 26.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 8.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yala

$115 12.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 8% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Yala

$104 11.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.9% $18

Eating Out

Yala

$77 8.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 58.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Yala

$61 6.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 35% $21

Getting Around

Yala

$9.4 * 1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 655% $61

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 $437 in Yala and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25 in Yala vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $266 per month, with Yala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Yala

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

Same time as Yala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,617

79,308

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Yala Phuket 350 km

From you

Yala
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

Yala vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yala is cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and leisure. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,369 in Yala and $1,917 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: $437 in Yala versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $581 in Yala 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 Yala – a meal for two runs $25 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Yala is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Yala 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.