Real 2026 prices across every category — from a ฿250 Patong hostel bunk to a ฿8,000+ beachfront resort, street food at ฿40 a plate to weigh-and-cook seafood. Three worked daily budgets, a full 3-day cost example, and honest notes on the monsoon and the New Year price spike.
The first question everyone asks before Phuket is "will it be expensive?" The honest answer is that it depends on your timing, your zone and how many island tours you take. Phuket genuinely works at any budget — in a normal month you can eat a ฿50 plate of pad thai on the street or a four-figure weigh-and-cook seafood spread, sleep in a ฿250 hostel bunk or a beachfront villa costing tens of thousands a night. The difference is how you design the trip.
What sets a Phuket budget apart from other cities is two big line items: island tours and transport. On any day you board a boat to Phi Phi or Phang Nga, the tour runs roughly ฿1,000–2,500 per person — the single biggest cost of the trip. And because Phuket has no metro or train, with the airport sitting about 32 km from the west-coast beaches, transfers and getting around add up too. Beaches are free to swim, and street food stays cheap.
The other thing to know is the season. The southwest monsoon runs about May–Oct, with rougher seas, frequent rain and some island tours cancelled — but cheaper hotels and fewer crowds. High season (about Nov–Apr) brings calm seas and the best beaches, but higher room rates, peaking sharply over New Year. See the month-by-month detail in the best time to visit Phuket guide.
Excludes flights and island tours · Includes accommodation, food and getting around the island · Add about ฿1,000–2,500/person on island-tour days
| Type | Per night | Best zones | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostel (dorm bed) | about ฿250–500 | Patong / Old Town | Dorm bed, walkable to Patong beach / walking street |
| Guesthouse / budget hotel | about ฿600–1,200 | Patong / Kata / Karon | Private air-con room, near the beach and restaurants |
| Mid-range hotel (3–4 star) | about ฿1,500–3,500 | Kata / Karon / Old Town | Pool, breakfast, easy to get around from |
| Beachfront resort (4–5 star) | about ฿4,000–8,000 | Kata / Surin / Kamala / Nai Harn | On the sand, sea views — e.g. Marriott, Hilton groups |
| Luxury resort / private villa | about ฿8,000–25,000+ | Surin / Kamala / Nai Thon | Private-pool villas — e.g. Trisara, Amanpuri at the top end |
Browse our hand-picked hotels: 10 best Phuket hotels — every budget, every zone
| Level | Per day/person | Per meal/dish | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Street food / markets / night markets | about ฿200–450 | ฿40–150/dish | Pad thai ฿50–80 / chicken rice ฿50 / Hokkien noodles ฿60–90 / roti ฿40 |
| Casual sit-down restaurants | about ฿450–1,000 | ฿150–400/meal | Thai restaurants / Old Town cafés / sea-view spots |
| Weigh-and-cook seafood (pick & cook) | about ฿600–1,500+ | by weight | Prawns / crab / grouper by the kilo + cooking fee · lobster is high |
| Resort dining / fine dining | about ฿1,500–4,000+/meal | — | 5-star resort restaurants / beach clubs / sunset-view tables |
Signature eats and where to eat: Phuket food guide · Old Town cafés · Thai cooking class
| Mode | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airport transfer → Patong/Kata (shared van) | about ฿150–250/person | Shared minibus · ~45–60 min · cheapest if you are not in a hurry |
| Airport transfer → beach (private taxi) | about ฿800–1,200/car | Airport is far north, ~32 km from the west-coast beaches |
| Scooter hire (per day) | about ฿200–350 | Need a licence + helmet · accidents are common, ride carefully |
| Car hire (per day) | about ฿1,000–1,800 | Fuel extra · most convenient if you cover lots of ground |
| Grab / taxi short hops within a zone | about ฿100–300/trip | Grab is limited in some zones / times · hard to get late at night |
| Taxi / Grab between zones (e.g. Patong → Old Town) | about ฿400–700 | Agree the price or ask for the meter before you get in |
| Phuket tuk-tuk (per trip) | about ฿200–600 | Pricier than you expect · always negotiate first |
| Local songthaew (beach ↔ Phuket Town) | about ฿30–50/person | Cheapest but slow, daytime only, routes via the town |
| Tour / attraction | Per person | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phi Phi / Maya Bay (speedboat day tour) | about ฿1,200–2,000 | Includes transfer, lunch, snorkelling · marine-park fee extra |
| Phang Nga Bay / James Bond Island | about ฿1,000–1,800 | Big boat / speedboat · some tours include sea-canoeing |
| Coral / Racha / Mai Thon Island | about ฿1,000–1,600 | Close to Phuket, clear water, good snorkelling, day return |
| Similan Islands (day tour) | about ฿2,500–4,000 | Open only about mid-Oct to mid-May (check first) · park fee extra |
| Marine-park fee (foreigners) | about ฿400–600 | Usually separate from the tour price · charged at Phi Phi / Similan |
| Wat Chalong / Big Buddha | Free | Free entry (donations welcome) · dress modestly |
| Viewpoints (Promthep / Karon / Windmill) | Free | Free sunsets · parking available |
| Private charter boat (speedboat, per boat/day) | about ฿15,000–40,000+ | Split across a group · pick your own islands, flexible |
Cheaper land days: Phuket Old Town · Big Buddha & Wat Chalong · Phuket viewpoints · day trips around Phuket
Excludes flights · based on typical off-peak 2026 prices · one island tour day included
| Item | Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation, 2 nights | about ฿500–1,200 hostel / guesthouse |
about ฿3,000–7,000 3–4 star (sharing) |
about ฿8,000–20,000+ beachfront resort |
| Food, 3 days | about ฿700–1,400 street + market |
about ฿1,800–3,500 sit-down + 1 seafood meal |
about ฿4,500–10,000 dining / seafood |
| Getting around, 3 days | about ฿500–900 scooter / songthaew |
about ฿1,200–2,200 Grab / taxi |
about ฿2,500–5,000 car + driver |
| Island tour, 1 day (Phi Phi / Phang Nga) | about ฿1,200–1,800 group join-tour |
about ฿1,800–2,500 + park fee |
about ฿4,000–8,000 premium / small-boat tour |
| Airport transfer (return) | about ฿300–500 shared van |
about ฿800–1,600 private (sharing) |
about ฿1,600–2,400 private car |
| Entries / souvenirs / extras | about ฿300–700 mostly free beaches + temple |
about ฿800–1,800 activities + souvenirs |
about ฿2,000–6,000+ spa / beach club |
| 3-day total (approx.) | about ฿4,500–8,000 | about ฿11,000–19,000 | about ฿30,000–50,000+ |
All figures are approximate off-peak prices and vary by season · high season / New Year pushes accommodation up several times · the backpacker column assumes two sharing a room in some lines · the comfort figure depends on your resort — a private-pool villa costs much more · always check live prices before booking.
Street stalls, markets, songthaews, tuk-tuks and small tour operators mostly take cash. Carry small notes. ATMs are everywhere in the beach zones and town (the foreign-card withdrawal fee is about ฿220 per transaction).
Many Thai businesses take PromptPay QR, handy if you have a Thai account or an app that can scan it. Cafés and sit-down restaurants in Old Town and the malls usually take transfers and cards.
Accepted at 3-star-plus hotels, malls, better restaurants and tours booked online, but not at street stalls or markets. Don't rely on cards alone — always keep a cash reserve.