Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yaren and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaren: $516 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Yaren

🇳🇷 Nauru

$516

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $516 in Yaren versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Yaren $516
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,972 in Yaren versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Yaren $2,972
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,428 in Yaren versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Yaren $5,428
Phuket $3,154

Living in Yaren costs roughly 60% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yaren 62% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.54 A$14.97

$4.47 ฿151

135.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 A$35.11

$32.41 ฿1,094

-23.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

Cappuccino

$3.43 A$4.87

$2.83 ฿95.5

21.20%

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

$1.02 A$1.45

$0.87 ฿29.43

17.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 A$1.51

$0.49 ฿16.67

116.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 A$9.80

$2.56 ฿86.4

169.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 A$6.77

$3.68 ฿124

29.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.11 A$4.43

$1.66 ฿56.0

87.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 A$2.46

$1.46 ฿49.35

18.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 A$5.02

$1.51 ฿51.0

133.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.49 A$4.96

$1.38 ฿46.56

152.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.41 A$4.84

$1.07 ฿35.99

218.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$17.66 A$25.09

$18.79 ฿634

-6.01%

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)

$1.41 A$2.00

$1.45 ฿49.03

-2.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.1 A$122

$56.7 ฿1,913

51.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.90 A$9.80

$3.02 ฿102

128.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 A$4.90

$1.02 ฿34.36

238.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.57 A$59.1

$3.69 ฿125

1026.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.47 ฿49.81

19.73%

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

$35.0K A$49.7K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

30.73%

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

$10.5K A$15.0K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-60.50%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

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

$7.00 A$9.94

$11.26 ฿380

-37.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.46 A$40.43

$16.85 ฿569

68.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$0.01 A$0.02

$67.2 ฿2,270

-99.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.20 A$20.17

$10.73 ฿362

32.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 A$10.21

$7.50 ฿253

-4.27%

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

$350 A$498

$476 ฿16.1K

-26.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K A$15.1K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-5.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.76 A$19.56

$62.4 ฿2,106

-77.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.58 A$15.04

$28.41 ฿959

-62.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$34.90 A$49.59

$94.3 ฿3,184

-62.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 A$98.6

$85.8 ฿2,898

-19.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,795 A$3,972

$716 ฿24.2K

290.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,100 A$7,247

$1,927 ฿65.1K

164.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,255 A$6,046

$1,431 ฿48.3K

197.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Yaren: 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

Yaren

–

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Groceries & Markets

Yaren

–

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yaren

–

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Clothing & Footwear

Yaren

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Eating Out

Yaren

–

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Sport & Entertainment

Yaren

–

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Getting Around

Yaren

–

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,795 in Yaren and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25 in Yaren vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $115 vs $266 per month, with Yaren cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇷 Yaren

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

5 h behind Yaren

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yaren Phuket 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Yaren
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

Yaren vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yaren is about 60% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $774 in Yaren 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: $2,795 in Yaren versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $350 in Yaren versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 132% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $516 in Yaren versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $800 budget is realistic in Yaren but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Yaren 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.

Safety-wise, Yaren and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.