What a month in Phuket actually costs.
One person, living the way most expats end up living after the first year: a condo rather than a villa, local food most nights, a scooter rather than a car.
Where would you live?
Rent is the line that moves most. Pick an area to see what a month costs there.
Pick an area above, or tap it on the map, to see rent there and what a month comes to.
- Rent, one bed
- To the airport
- Draws
฿44,229/ month
Roughly ฿44,000 a month buys a comfortable, unhurried life on this island. That’s about what a single room costs in most of the cities people leave behind.
Not includedSchool fees are not included. Tuition is charged separately and varies considerably by school, curriculum and year group, so budget for it on top of the monthly figures above. See the schools on our list
Indicative 2026 figures. Health insurance is the cheapest plan in an October 2026 AA Insurance Brokers quote for one adult; the other one-person lines are drawn from what people in the guide report paying; couples and families are scaled estimates. Area rents are indicative monthly asking prices for an unfurnished one-bedroom on a twelve-month lease. Only the rent changes with the area; the other lines are island-wide.
Most problems new arrivals hit come from doing things in the wrong order.
This is the order that works for your first ninety days.
Your first ninety days, in order
- Step 1, Week one
A Thai SIM and a fixed address
Everything after this asks for one or both. A short-term rental receipt counts as an address, so get one in writing before you move on.
- Step 2, Week three
Work out your visa runway
Know which extension you are heading for while you still have weeks to spare, not days. The options narrow sharply once you are inside the last fortnight. Common visa situations.
- Step 3, Week four
Get covered before you need it
Private hospitals here are genuinely excellent, and they bill like it. Cover bought after an incident covers nothing.
Start a quote - Step 4, Month two
Open a Thai bank account
Take every document you own, then take a second copy of each. Branches differ on what they want, and a wasted morning is the usual price of guessing.
Editor’s tip: Kasikorn Bank (KBank) and Bangkok Bank are among the easiest banks for expats to open an account with. Do your own research before you go: banking rules for foreigners in Thailand change often, and you don’t want to end up with frozen funds.
- Step 5, Month three
Sign a lease, not another booking
By now you know which side of the island you want. A twelve-month lease costs roughly half what the same place costs by the month.
