Cost of Living
on Phuket
So . . . what does it cost to
live in paradise? This is
a common question that only you
can answer. Everyone has
different expectations about
their lifestyle and how they
chose to live.
There are people who save money
on a teacher's wages and there
are people who need to draw from
their savings every month.
Do you go out and party nightly?
Does the bartender at the local
pub know you by name? And
the finest restaurants have your
favorite wine in the cellar?
A good portion of your costs
will be determined by your
housing choices and your
transportation needs. If
you want to live on a beach or
with a sea view, you will
obviously pay much more than if
you live away from the sea in a
non-tourist area.
A modest studio (one room)
apartment with A/C starts about
B6000 and can go quite high.
A modest one bedroom house
(probably no A/C) can start as
low as B6-8000. A nice two
bedroom furnished house with A/C
in a good area can run about
B11-25,000 and up.
If you live near your work and
can walk there - or are skilled
at driving a scooter (don't
learn how here!),
those costs will be lower than
if you are constantly hiring a
taxi or motorbike taxi to take
you to work. Hotels
often provide regular transport
for their employees
to and from Phuket Town.
Phuket has a notoriously poor
public transportation system
that hubs in Phuket Town and
spokes out to other areas.
This often means that you must
go to Phuket Town rather than
direct and can greatly increase
the amount of time you will
spend getting where you want to
go.
Phuket's
transportation system only runs
from about 8am to about 6pm -
other than that, you'll have to
walk, hire someone, bum a ride,
or have your own wheels.
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