Living In Phuket
I would like to create an overview of all handy and useful information for those of you that are interested in living in Phuket. Most of the information in this section related to points which some people might not enjoy about living in Phuket.
Phuket Prices
If you would like to move to Thailand then there are many great places where you can live and Phuket is certainly one of them. I would however like to stress that Phuket is one of the more expensive destinations in Thailand. You would find lower prices housing and restaurants in Chiang Mai or Pattaya for example.
So if you are on a tight pension for example then perhaps you would do wisely to look elsewhere as a place to live. That said, Phuket is not overly expensive and prices are definitely much lower then what you would pay in Australia, Europe or the US. If you live in the center of the island then you can find a two bedroom house with a nice garden for around 10.000 – 12.000 THB.
If you are planning to do a lot out dining outside of your house then Phuket could also be expensive but that depends entirely whether you only want to eat Western food or only in the tourist resort areas. Prices are generally much lower still then what you would expect to pay back home but slightly higher then what you would pay in Pattaya or Hua Hin.
Living on Phuket Island
Although I personally love living in Phuket, there are times when I do get a bit sick of it. You should remember that Phuket is an island and after a while you will know every corner of the island. The main disadvantage which I see with Phuket is that it is located a bit isolated from the rest of Thailand.
Bangkok for example is around 1000 KM away. You could off course step in a plane and fly down to Bangkok but there aren’t many big towns which you can reach easily and quickly by car from Phuket. Driving to Bangkok is a good 10 hour + drive and the highway is not very good at certain points along the way.
Phuket Expat Community
If you have been living in Phuket for a while then you will quickly notice that the expat community on Phuket is not very large. You will start seeing the same faces every day and as with many small communities, there is a lot of gossiping, envy, arguments etc. If you have no problem with dealing with things like that then you should not worry. However if you have no issues with that then you should have no problems...