Slow Travel Review: Phuket, Thailand – The Land Of Sea & Food

by A Purple Life, posted in Finance, Food, Reviews, Spending, Travel, Travel Reviews
This post may contain affiliate links. For more info read my disclosure.

Up until now, my slow travel reviews have explored the US and my own backyard with fresh eyes. Well now these posts are finally going international!

I want to talk about the month I spent living in Phuket, Thailand and give you all the tips and tricks I stumbled and embarrassed myself into knowing 🙂 . Hopefully this will help you in the future if you plan to go to Thailand in general or Phuket specifically.

I was a bit nervous to embark on my first international adventure since 2019, especially since we were going to literally the other side of the world to a place where I could not speak or read the language. I was also intimidated by the fact that we would be there a month – by far the longest time I have been abroad outside of my 6 months living in Italy in college. However, I shouldn’t have worried. Thailand is a lovely place to visit and we had a fantastic time.

Walkability

Each town in Phuket is very walkable – there are sidewalks everywhere along with street lights and pedestrian crossings. One heads up though, in Thailand they drive on the left side of the road, so I was always careful to look in both directions before crossing just to make sure I didn’t look the wrong way and then get taken out by someone on a scooter.

To get in between the towns I used Grab, the Asia equivalent of Lyft or Uber and really enjoyed it. In fact, I’m planning to write a whole review post about that app and its features outside of grabbing rides because I found it so helpful.

When we used Grab, we discovered that a lot of those drivers actually worked for taxi companies as well and would give us their cards. We chose the card of our favorite driver and my Mom ended up hiring him for a multitude of trips by the hour. He would respond immediately and was a lovely person to work with.

The alternative to Grab and taxis in Phuket are Tuk Tuks, pronounced “took tooks.” Those are the tiny cars that are often asking tourists if they need rides, and I would suggest avoiding them. I was told to do the same by expats before my travels, because they’re known for greatly increasing the price of a ride after you’ve already agreed to one price and at times not letting you leave until you pay. So we avoided them 🙂 .

Language

I was surprised to discover that I was able to get by in Thailand while knowing only a few phrases. I had a goal of learning one new phrase a day and after the first week or two, I was good! Many people spoke English or we got by with our few phrases and a few gestures. I also downloaded all of the Thai language to my Google Translate app on my phone, but I never used it to speak to people.

Anyway, the first thing I needed to know about Thai was that phrases end differently based on my (the speaker’s) gender. Men end words with “khrab” and women end them with “kha” so heads up for that in the below. Here are the phrases that helped me get by:

  1. “Hello” = สวัสดีค่ะ = “Sawatdee kha”
  2. “Thank you” = ขอบคุณค่ะ = “Khawp khun kha”
  3. “Sorry” = ขอโทษค่ะ = “Khor thod kha”
  4. “How are you?” = สบายดีมั้ยค่ะ  = “Sabai dee mai kha?”
  5. “You’re welcome/It’s fine” = ไม่เป็นไรค่ะ = “Mai pen rai ka”
  6. “I’m hungry” = หิวข้าว = Hiu khao (Heads up: hiu means “hungry” and khao means “rice” 🙂 )
  7. “I’m thirsty” = หิวน้ำ = Hiu naam (Heads up: naam means “water” so thirsty = hungry for water)
  8. “Delicious” = อร่อย = “Ah-roi”
  9. “How much?” = เท่าไรค่ะ = ‘Tao rai kha”

One heads up that I mentioned in my February recap, the Thai language doesn’t pronounce “h”s in the same way we do in English, which I guess I should have figured out from how we say “Tailand” instead of “THailand.” That means that “Phuket” is pronounced “Pooket.” This was humorous when we discovered that the famous “Phi Phi Islands” are pronounced “Pee Pee Islands” 

Inclusivity

How people in a city seems to react to a purple haired black woman rolling up to their town, is something I like to include in these reviews. I find this kind of information helpful when I’m looking for new places to visit so here it is 🙂 .

I was curious how comfortable I would feel in Thailand given the new barriers we had (language, writing etc) and the fact that we would be living there instead of staying in tourist areas. Well, I shouldn’t have worried 🙂 . People are just as friendly as I had heard and I felt completely comfortable everywhere I went.

I felt at home there quite quickly and even felt comfortable going for runs by myself while the sun was rising. I never had any issues while doing so.

Money

The exchange rate when we visited in February 2022 was about 30THB:1 USD so an easy way to convert currency in my mind, was taking the cost, such as 300THB, moving the decimal one position to the left and then dividing by 3, which gives me $10USD = EASY!

Cash is the most prevalent kind of currency accepted around Phuket – places rarely took credit cards and if they did, there were often extra fees associated with them. However, there were ATMs everywhere so it wasn’t an issue. We used a few different ATMs that were associated with Thai banks. I also confirmed the claim that my Charles Schwab Investor Checking Account refunds ALL ATM FEES! One of the ATMs took a $7.16 fee for a withdrawal and I got it all back at the end of the month in my Charles Schwab account. Sweet!!!

Usually when I go to a foreign country where English isn’t the official language, I try to learn numbers in the local language so I can know how much something costs when a shopkeeper tells me. However, I never had this issue in Thailand because all shops that I visited either told you the total in English or held up a calculator with the numbers on it so there was no confusion. Super easy!

Electric

Before we embarked on our first international travels since the pandemic began, I bought this travel adapter dock for my electronics. However,  I surprisingly didn’t need it while I was in Thailand. That might be because I stayed in tourist hotels and an Airbnb owned by an expat, but everywhere we stayed had dual sockets that accept Thai type A or C and US type A plugs. I use this site to see what kind of sockets different countries use.

I used my US type A plugs and didn’t have an issue with anything EXCEPT my beloved heating pad. During my research of why it would automatically shut off if I tried to plug it into the socket or my converter, I discovered that electronics that convert electricity to heat, such as hair dryers, straighteners and (apparently) heating pads, don’t work in these situations for safety reasons.

My adapter has a warning to not use it with hair dryers and straighteners, but it said nothing about heating pads. Good to know though! I’m going to see if I can get some type of traveling hot water bottle for future international travels just in case.

Nature

One of the reasons I love visiting Thailand is because of the abundance of nature around us. First, for the positive part of that 🙂 . If you’re a lover of snorkeling, gorgeous birds and abundant plant life, Thailand is a wonderful place to be.

The snorkeling there, for example, is out of this world. We took a trip around the nearby islands including the Phi Phi Islands to snorkel and kayak, and it looked how I imagine the Great Barrier Reef looks (swipe through all the videos to see some wild fish and jellies!).

The beaches were pristine with beautiful white sand and more fish than I’ve ever seen in my life. A few of these beaches had been closed for years until recently to help the wildlife come back after too many tourists trashed the place, so we were careful to be super aware of our impact while we were there. We were also told that the lack of tourists during the pandemic helped beaches that were not closed, revitalize as well, so that might be why this experience was so jaw dropping.

Now for the less good 🙂 . A natural environment means bugs. In the US it seems like we spray all kinds of wild shit in our houses to keep any sign of outside life either out of ours or dead. In Thailand that’s not the case. Bugs are around and it’s a tropical climate so it’s a fact of life. The places we stayed in didn’t even have screens on the windows or doors so if you open them you’re welcoming in the outside world.

This wasn’t a problem for us in general, but it did lead to an adventure one night. We came back from our boat trip to see bugs all around the apartment floor. It turns out that while we were away, it had rained – hard- and these were flying ants, which somehow found their way in and then lost their wings…they also look nothing like ants so I don’t even know where this name came from 🙂 .

Anyway, we played a ‘fun’ game of rounding up the critters, messaged our Airbnb host who wonderfully responded immediately, and told us to let him know if we saw them after that night. Luckily, we didn’t. There were a few stragglers in the morning and then nothing. This wasn’t even on the scale of gross things I’ve experienced when I lived in NYC, but I wanted to point it out in case it’s not something you’re used to. Life is here – living, outside or inside your house 🙂 .

Water

The tap water in Thailand is not drinkable so we bought it from the grocery store. While doing so, I learned that my 40L backpack can easily fit 2, 1.5 gal jugs at the bottom along with groceries piled on top of it. Awesome! I also learned how to one-handedly pour a 1.5 gallon jug into smaller bottles all by myself. I’m learning all kinds of new skills 😉 !

Food

Food in Thailand is as delicious as you can imagine. I didn’t have any bad food even across cuisines – it was ridiculous and wonderful 🙂 . I was even surprised to see that our local grocery store had some of the best croissants I’ve ever had in my life and they were 6 for $1…say WHAAAT?!

Similarly, there was sensational fresh fruit everywhere with prices that always made my jaw drop.

One thing that was different about the food we got in the grocery store is that mayo and butter were slightly sweet compared to the same brands in the US. Just a heads up so that’s not a surprise for you. Outside of the grocery store, the drink technology in Asia continues to astound me:

Overall I was extremely impressed with the food in Phuket. Inside and outside the grocery store, it’s all delicious and affordable.

Cost

I like to base estimates on solid facts and that’s why I began my retirement calculations by assuming I would continue spending the same amount that I did during my awesome HCOL life in Seattle, which cost $18,000 a year. I then added 11% on top of that amount just in case, to come to a round $20,000 for my annual retirement budget.

This padded assumption also adds another cushion to my plan because most places in the USA and especially the world, are cheaper to live in than Seattle, Washington. Here’s how Phuket, Thailand compares to Seattle:

My costs below are overall higher than they would be if my partner and I were traveling alone because we were with my Mom who is a classy lady with classy tastes 🙂 . We also had 2 overlapping accommodations for a week as a result of changing Thai entry rules.

Anyway, if we were on our own, we would have bought less delivery, bought more groceries, and taken fewer Grab cars…while most likely keeping the massages 🙂 . I don’t regret any of this spending, but wanted to point out that it is fancier than what we usually do.

Lodging 

Cost: $850 each ($2,550 total – split between 3 people)

Basically this:

I learned that electricity in international Airbnbs seems to often be charged separately. We lucked out when we booked this Airbnb because the upfront cost included electricity, but they changed that rule before we arrived. No worries though – they kept their word that we wouldn’t have to pay extra this time. Something else different that happened is that this Airbnb requested a security deposit.

After a lot of discussion, pushback and chatting with Airbnb (giving a host cash outside the app is against their terms & conditions), we decided to give the security deposit in cash as requested and see what happened. And I’m happy to report that we received a receipt when providing the deposit and got all the money back at the end of our stay without incident. Nice!

Food

Grocery Cost: $110.31

Eating Out Cost: $214.87

Feel free to drool:

Takeaway (people seem to prefer that British term to “takeout” that I usually hear in the US) is often cheaper than groceries and obviously takes us less time, so I cooked ONE time the entire month. My groceries were all water and snacks 🙂 . Ridiculous. And no regrets 🙂 . However, adding the delivery fees and tips on top of the food cost to get it delivered through Grab did make my eating out budget more than it usually would be when we go to get our own takeaway.

Alcohol Cost: $20

Grocery stores in Phuket sell beer, wine and liquor. However, they have some interesting rules. Alcohol can only be sold from 11:00-14:00 and 17:00-midnight. So heads up in case you’re looking for some beer in the afternoon to enjoy by the pool 🙂 .

Transit

Cost: $89.68

Transit was interesting this trip. Since I travel hacked my Business Class flight to (on Singapore Air) and from (on Etihad Air) Thailand, that only accounted for about $13 of this cost. Once you’re in Phuket, it’s very affordable to move around if you use the local bus system. In fact, at the end of our trip, we discovered a very fancy and air conditioned bus that stopped right down the street from our Airbnb and went to the airport for a dollar or two.

However, our main transportation besides walking, was Grab. As I said, I’m going to write a whole post about that in case it helps anyone. We used Grab so much because my Mom was more comfortable with it. No worries, we’re happy to accommodate.

One thing to note is that Grab cars cannot take you to the airport. For that, we looked out for a taxi we liked (most Grabs are also taxis or part of luxury car services and they give you their card) and hired them for trips to the airport as well as longer trips. We paid $15/hour at their request. So that’s why these costs are relatively high, but if you’re comfortable with public transit, it can be a small fraction of what I paid.

Conclusion

And that’s what I discovered after living in Phuket, Thailand for a month! Even after hearing about how affordable Thailand can be to live in, I was still shocked with how well you can live on relatively little. Anyway, until next time, this was my Slow Travel Review!

What’s the most affordable place you’ve visited?

If you’re interested in my other Slow Travel Reviews, they’re all here:

16 thoughts on “Slow Travel Review: Phuket, Thailand – The Land Of Sea & Food”

  1. Oh my god this all sounds SO GOOD. The food looks incredible *drools unattractively* what a great trip! Fantastic write-up!

    Reply

  2. The place you rented looks incredible. What a view! And the food… Mmmmm.

    I love that you were able to stay in one place for a month and get to know the area. That’s my favorite way to travel, too.

    Reply

    1. It was a lovely place 🙂 . I’m glad that it worked out despite the security deposit weirdness. And yaaas that food!

      Reply

  3. One of the most exciting things about traveling to countries like Thailand is that the food IS. SO. CHEAP. But also it looks like the food in general is pretty healthy and not processed. So it’s like you get very affordable food that tastes good, AND is healthy (I’m doing a month in Portugal/Spain right now and the food here is also very cheap and I noticed that their egg yolks are very orange, which I’m told by my Tik Tok education that means the chickens are more healthy and aren’t crammed inside a cage).
    Thailand is a destination I definitely should put on my list to travel.

    Reply

    1. Totally agree. I was surprised and confused that I ate anything and everything and seemed to lose weight 🙂 . And yes – it’s a lovely country!

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  4. I’ve been coming to Phuket almost every year now since 2015, and staying anywhere from 2 to 4 or 5 months. If you are able to get a motorcycle license and ride a motorbike over here, your costs go down substantially,too. I also stay with a Thai friend I’ve made over here in his guesthouse and between my room and motorbike, the costs total less than $250 USD a month! It’s a pretty small room, more for one person, and no amenities, but when you have your own motorbike to ride, beaches are only 20 minutes away from Phuket Town…which is also cheaper than all the tourist towns!

    You’re right, food is so cheap, and so heathy! I love all the options, and the Central Phuket Mall in Phuket Town has several different food courts, along with some really tasty restaurants all throughout the mall. It has a really nice movie theater there,too, with all the latest movies in English with Thai subtitles.

    I absolutely love Phuket, and my Filipina wife and I will spend several months a year here when we retire in SE Asia in a few years! I always hate leaving here; I’m having to do a visa run soon for a few weeks when I head to Saigon, Vietnam…which is another place I love too, but for me, Phuket is my home away from home, and my go to place!

    Reply

    1. That’s super cool! I’m too wary to get a motorbike myself (I kept seeing tourists going the wrong way and getting into accidents and that would totally be me so I should spare the world that outcome 🙂 ). And that sounds like a wonderfully affordable situation!

      I’ll have to check out that mall when we return 🙂 . Good luck on your visa run!

      Reply

  5. Hiya!
    I read all your posts (the old money ones, multiple times). Question about AirBnB… I’m following your life and trying to “live” in Seattle for a month (lol)…is it typical for an AirBnB month or longer stay to have a cancellation policy where it’s cancel up until day of for ‘service fee + 30 days’… that’s what i’ve been seeing and wasn’t sure if that was typical or not. Basically, you get charged the month stay if you cancel any time before arrival.

    Also, what neighborhood did you used to live in during your time in Seattle?

    Reply

    1. Hi! That’s cool – thank you for telling me that 🙂 . As for Airbnb, yes that’s normal. Basically no refunds 🙂 so be sure before you book. I lived in Queen Anne. Have fun in Seattle!

      Reply

  6. The best thing about Thailand is the availability and affordability of great food. I loved eating different dishes every day. It was great.
    When our son goes off to college, I plan to go live in Thailand for 6 months/year. The cost of living is so cheap compares to the US. Although, it is getting higher every year. Inflation everywhere.

    Reply

  7. Dear purple life, Thank you for your posts and info. Could you share link for this and the Mexico Airbnb? Sorry if I missed it is in any of the other posts. We FIRE’s last year and are full time nomads so it is very helpful to just review them for reference.
    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi There – I don’t release the links to my exact Airbnbs since I’m anonymous. Congratulations on retirement and good luck with your travels!

      Reply

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