Find out the cost of living in Phuket with our handy guide covering a range of costs

Cost of Living in Phuket

Fancy waking up to this view? It doesn't come cheap!

Phuket has a fairly large community of full-time farang (foreigner) residents and there are plenty more people who spend half of the year living in Phuket. With the highest per capita income of any province of Thailand comes a commensurate increase in the cost of living. Having said that, living in Phuket is still much cheaper than living in the West. Living in Phuket in comfortable but modest fashion usually costs around 30,000-40,000 baht a month (($900-1,200; €630-850).

Here’s a cost by cost breakdown:

Rent: it depends where on the island you want to live. A studio apartment in Phuket City goes for as cheap as 3,000 baht a month. For that price you won’t get much; a bed, a wardrobe, a fan and a bathroom. For around 4,000-6,000 baht a month you get cable T.V., air-con, hot water and nicer furnishings, maybe even a little kitchenette. Nearer the beach expect to pay a minimum of 5,000 baht a month for a bare-bones studio apartment in Patong, and up to 20,000 baht a month for a well-appointed multi-room apartment with a beach view.

Houses in Phuket are generally good value, again depending on how near the beach you want to be. A fully furnished two bedroom house with air con rents for about 8,000 to 14,000 baht a month in the Phuket Town area. For a similar place in the Rawai area you will be looking at 12,000 to 18,000 baht a month. There are also some truly luxurious houses on the island as well, but be prepared to pay for them. You can find amazing places with private gardens, pools and gorgeous ocean views for 60,000 to 80,000 baht a month. Of course the cost of living when renting in Phuket depends on the standards you prefer, but there are a lot of wealthy people on the island desiring places near the beach.

Tescos Lotus stocks many western groceries, at local prices

Food: Phuket has a wide variety of different types of cuisine available and how much you spend depends on where you go and what you want to eat. There are plenty of Thai style noodle shops and street food stalls where you can get noodles, Roti, or barbeque for around 25 to 45 baht per plate. Fried chicken is a Muslim speciality and a filling meal can be had for 35 baht or so. A meal at a simple sit down Thai restaurant is usually about 80 baht including drink. For 100 to 150 baht you can get a great meal at a higher-end Thai restaurant. Most mid-range and high end Thai restaurants also serve western foods for 200 to 300 baht per person but often they don’t quite get it right. Phuket has some excellent foreign restaurants, some at quite reasonable prices. For 400 to 600 baht you can get a good western meal for two and 800 to 1,000 baht gets you a five star western dinner.

Beverages: Drinking is a favourite pastime in Phuket and hardly a dent in your cost of living on Phuket. A small bottle of local beer at a pub usually costs about 50 baht, while a large bottle is about 80 to 100 baht. Imported beers (except Heineken) are harder to find and considerably more expensive. A pint of Guinness flows from the tap at 300 baht a pint, and a bottle of Corona (with the obligatory piece of lime of course) costs 150 to 200 baht. Spirits are usually 100 to 150 baht a glass (mixer included) for imports and 60 to 80 baht for the local stuff (all double measures). Local whisky and rum such as Sangsom and Mae Khong are cheaper but if you spend the little extra your head will thank you in the morning. Prices will double the second you step into a heavy tourist area like Patong. The Thai way to go out is to buy a bottle of whisky (100 Pipers: 250 baht, Johnny Walker Red: 500 baht, Johnny Walker Black: 900 baht) and bring it into the bar with you. Corkage fees almost never apply, but it’s good form to buy your mixers and ice from the bar. Of course stocking up from the super market is the cheapest option, for most of cost of a beer here is the markup levied by the tourist establishments.

Phone and Internet: Internet cafés generally charge 20 baht an hour in town and 30 to 60 baht an hour near the beaches. Cheap and used mobile phones cost anywhere from 1,500 baht to 7,000 baht and a SIM card is 250 baht and top-up cards can be found at any convenience store. The rate varies from network to network but is usually around 10 to 15 baht a minute. 1-2-Call has the best coverage, while Orange has the lowest rate. If you have work permit or Thai ‘sponsor; you can get a subscriber account which offers much more competitive rates. Internet services within hotels are often unreasonably expensive, some cafes about the island offer free wi-fi or at least at a minimal charge. ADSL is also widely available on the island if you are in a populated and well developed area, with rates from 1000 baht per month for 512k speed and up.

Getting around: Phuket is a fair-sized island and walking from place to place can take time. The most efficient means of transport is a 125cc motorbike. Motorbike rentals are readily available and cost about 3,000 baht per month, which includes insurance. Honda motorbikes are very reliable and the cost of maintenance is ridiculously low (40 baht to change a tire, 120 baht for a tune-up and oil change). Be warned, Phuket’s roads are chaotic and many a farang bears the scars of a motorbike accident. If that’s not enough reason to always wear a helmet, remember that helmet laws are about the only traffic laws regularly enforced. One 300 baht fine is enough for most people to learn that lesson. A second hand scooter costs from 10,000 to 15,000 baht to buy, while a new one is about 30,000+. Larger motorcycles cost 35,000 to 65,000 used and 80,000+ new but come without registration since the import duties are almost a much as the value of the vehicle. Few police ever bother you however if you have no ‘plates’. Second hand cars can be purchased for 85,000 (ten year old Suzuki jeep) to 210,000 baht (2001 Toyota Soluna). In fact locally manufactured vehicles, ranging from the 600,000 baht Honda Jazz to Mercedes models, are good value, especially the SUVs which are classed as commercial and get tax breaks. You will need a non-immigrant visa in order to buy a vehicle.

A motorbike taxi in town costs about 30 to 50 baht and 100 to 150 to the beach. A tuk-tuk from town to the beach costs about 300 baht. Taxi prices go up at night. The songthaew mini buses from town to the beach ply a fixed route for 30 baht but its a very slow ride. On the whole metered taxis on the island are very reasonable, if you can persuade them to use the meter, and that depends on how many gullible tourists are nearby.

Entertainment: Movies cost 80 to 120 baht for a basic seat, VIP seats at Central (reclining seat with blanket, drinks and popcorn included) are 500 baht. Bowling is 80 baht per game, shoe rental not included. The only discos that charge a cover are in Patong. The cost is 100 baht and includes a drink. ‘Feminine company’ for the evening is negotiable but usually around 1,000 baht.

Buying property: Apartments in Phuket generally start at around 1 million baht for a small studio, while a two bedroom condominium starts at 4 million baht. Houses in the many sub developments springing up around the island can be had for around 7.5 million baht but you are paying a heavy price for the prestige of living in them. Undeveloped land in Phuket costs around 8 million baht per Rai (1 Rai=16,000 square feet). Of course, Phuket has become an international property focus point in Asia and villas and seafront land change hands for US$250,000 and upwards of a million dollars.

Clothes: There are plenty of open-air markets where you can buy shirts and tops from 100 baht, and jeans for 400 baht. At the more upmarket department stores shirts and T’s are 200 to 500 baht and jeans cost 800 to 1,500 for brand names. There are countless tailor shops located all over the island. A custom tailored suit, including jacket, trousers and two shirts costs about 4,000 baht. Most clothes are made in Thai sizes, so finding something that fits, especially shoes, can sometimes be a challenge. Shoes are one of the best value items available to shoppers.

Computers: Locally made machines are extremely cheap but the cheapest models are unreliable and will often end up as paperweights. A good new machine with Pentium G4 processor, 256 RAM and monitor will cost around 35,000 baht. If you simply need a desktop for surfing the internet then a suitable machine can be found for 20,000 baht or less. Laptops however aren’t as cheap since few are manufactured locally. For software in English you may have to resort to the pirated copies for 100 baht (which we don’t condone), but hard-ware and auxiliaries are cheap.

Courses: A month-long, 120 hour TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course costs US$ 1,600 including accommodation. Thai lessons are 5,900 baht for a 20 hour one-on-one course, with discounts available for small groups. A one day Thai cooking course costs 1,000 baht per person. A PADI open water diving certification costs 9,000 to 12,000 baht.

Health: A visit to the doctor will cost around 1,000 baht for a simple check-up or consultation. Likewise dental work is extremely cheap, with a cleaning costing around 800 baht. Hospitals in Phuket are up to international standards, with competent doctors and excellent facilities. Bupa, AIA and other international companies have local operations offering suitable health cover for 10,000 baht a year and up, depending on the level of ward luxury you would prefer.

Phuket guide