Should you visit Phuket or Chumphon?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Phuket or Chumphon, this travel cost comparison can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Phuket
Phuket Island is the tourist mecca of southern Thailand. Known for its beaches and resorts, the island brings in a massive amount of travelers from all over the world, year round. Although the beaches are beautiful, Phuket has also become more westernized and tourist-oriented in recent decades, leaving many travelers to venture elsewhere to find that amazing beach with a more authentic Thai vibe. However, Phuket Island is quite large, and hidden gems can still be found.
Chumphon
Sometimes tourism has a tendency to spoil the natural beauty of a place. This is not the case in the magical city of Chumphon, Thailand. As the gateway to the Chumphon Archipelago, this city has maintained natural, untouched beauty. Its miles of coastline are full of fine beaches with fishing, swimming and a number of other activities.
Which city is cheaper, Chumphon or Phuket?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Phuket is $93, while the average daily cost in Chumphon is $32. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Phuket and Chumphon in more detail.
Accommodation
A hotel room in Phuket is about $102 This assumes double occupancy and modest accommodations.
An average hotel room with basic furnishings costs about $28 in Chumphon For the most convenient locations and nicer amenities you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
On average, meal and food prices in Phuket cost around $18 per person, per day. While this price can vary widely by location, the type of restaurant, and the amount of food ordered, a typical meal often costs around $7.20.
On average, meal and food prices in Chumphon cost around $12 per person, per day. While this price can vary widely by location, the type of restaurant, and the amount of food ordered, a typical meal often costs around $4.80.
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Food
Meals for one day
Phuket $18
Chumphon $12
Typical Food prices in Phuket
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Phuket:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Phuket
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Phuket.
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Private Authentic Thai Cooking Class in a Family Home in Phuket:
$60
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Siam Niramit w/ Ticket+ Buffet Dinner + Transfer:
$63
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Half Day Thai Cooking Class including Lunch from Khao Lak:
$65
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Phuket FantaSea: Show with Dinner and Transfers:
$75
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Phijittra Uniqueness Sailing Sunset Dinner Cruise:
$79
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Phuket Cooking Course with Sightseeing Tour plus Kata Local Market (Full Day):
$101
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Dinner Buffet Cruise in Phuket:
$109
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James Bond Island Trip on Luxury Boat & lunch buffet, dinner, water activities:
$153
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Sunset Dinner Cruise on board a beautiful:
$204
Typical Food prices in Chumphon
For Chumphon, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Ice Cream
$0.18
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Fruit at the Market
$0.62
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Breakfast
$1.23
Local Transportation
The average price of local transportation around Phuket is $9.05 per person, per day. As this average includes both taxis and public transport, keep in mind that the prices of private drivers and taxis are significantly more expensive than public transportation.
To get around in Chumphon, the average visitor spends $5.70 per day, per person. This includes the costs of taxi rides and private drivers as well as public transportation, which tends to be much more affordable.
Typical Local Transportation prices in Phuket
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Phuket:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Phuket
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Phuket:
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Transfer from Phuket Hotel to Phuket Airport:
$43
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Transfer from Phuket Hotel to Phi Phi Island:
$25
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Transfer from Phuket Airport to Phuket Hotel:
$43
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Transfer from Phuket Airport to Khao Lak Hotel:
$50
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Private Van: Phuket Airport Transfers:
$38
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Private Transfer: Van Charter incl Airport Pick Up or Drop Off:
$92
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Private Transfer from Phuket to Krabi with 2h of Sightseeing:
$91
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Private Transfer from Phuket City to Phuket (HKT) Airport:
$62
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Private Transfer from Mai Khao Beach to Phuket (HKT) Airport:
$62
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Private Transfer from Bang Tao Beach to Phuket (HKT) Airport:
$62
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Private Phuket Point To Point Transfer Services by Minivan:
$58
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Private Car: Phuket Airport Departure Transfer:
$35
Is it cheaper to fly into Phuket or Chumphon?
Prices for flights to both Chumphon and Phuket change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
Phuket's costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around $38 per person, per day. This cost can vary widely by the type of activity, however, as this includes admission tickets, day tours, museums, and other things to do.
In Chumphon, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average $9.26 per person, per day.
Typical Entertainment prices in Phuket
Here are a few typical costs in Phuket for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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One Day Boat Tour
$28
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Scuba Diving (Two Dives)
$77
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Thai Oil Massage
$20
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Surfboard Rental
$9.23
Tours and Activities in Phuket
Here are a few actual costs in Phuket for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
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Coral and Racha Islands Speedboat Snorkeling Tour from Phuket:
$73
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DAY TRIP - JOIN TOUR Coral Island Phuket by Sailing Catamaran Yacht:
$155
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Early Bird Small Group - Phi Phi Islands Sunrise Tour with Seaview Lunch Buffet:
$106
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Fishing Live Aboard Cruise to the Similan Islands:
$7,338
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Fishing Live Aboard Cruise to the Surin Islands:
$7,338
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Flying Hanuman Phuket Tour:
$119
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Flying Hanuman Ziplining Experience:
$83
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Flying Trapeze Adventure in Phuket:
$21
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From 4-Day Tropical Island Cruise - Suwan Macha:
$1,328
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From Full-Day Coral Island Tour & Sea Walking:
$79
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From Soi Dog Foundation and Islands Tour:
$85
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Full Day Phi Phi Island Budget Speed Boat Tour with Lunch:
$64
Alcohol
While the amount that someone spends on alcohol while visiting Phuket may vary from person to person, on average a person spends $5.73 per day on alcoholic beverages.
Typically, people visiting Chumphon spend on average $10 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Typical Alcohol prices in Phuket
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Phuket from other travelers:
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Cocktails (for Two)
$6.15
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Beer
$2.61
Typical Alcohol prices in Chumphon
Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Chumphon are as follows:
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Phuket and Chumphon, we can see that Phuket is more expensive. And not only is Chumphon much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Chumphon would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Chumphon and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Phuket would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Phuket than you might in Chumphon.
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