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Ayutthaya vs Phuket

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Ayutthaya edges it, 58 to 54, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Ayutthaya is stronger on getting there & around, cost of living; Phuket on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 6.7 of 58 points (scores 60/100)Safety: 5.6 of 58 points (scores 51/100)Healthcare: 8.4 of 58 points (scores 76/100)Internet: 8.2 of 58 points (scores 73/100)Visa ease: 6.5 of 58 points (scores 58/100)Getting there & around: 7.4 of 58 points (scores 66/100)Climate: 2.8 of 58 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 7.2 of 58 points (scores 64/100)Quality of life: 5.5 of 58 points (scores 49/100)58
Ayutthaya
out of 100

Ruined former capital of Siam an hour north of Bangkok

Full Ayutthaya profile →Where to stay in Ayutthaya →
Cost of living: 5.5 of 54 points (scores 50/100)Safety: 5.6 of 54 points (scores 51/100)Healthcare: 8.4 of 54 points (scores 76/100)Internet: 7.3 of 54 points (scores 66/100)Visa ease: 6.5 of 54 points (scores 58/100)Getting there & around: 4.6 of 54 points (scores 42/100)Climate: 2.8 of 54 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 8.1 of 54 points (scores 73/100)Quality of life: 5.5 of 54 points (scores 49/100)54
Phuket
out of 100

Island life with a full expat infrastructure

Full Phuket profile →Where to stay in Phuket →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricAyutthayaPhuket
Cost of living60 ✓50
Safety5151
Healthcare7676
Internet73 ✓66
Visa ease5858
Getting there & around66 ✓42
Climate2525
Air quality6473 ✓
Quality of life4949

Cost

MetricAyutthayaPhuket
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,000 ✓$1,311
Central one-bedroom rentno data$596

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricAyutthayaPhuket
Homicides per 100k4.44.4
Political stability (0–100)55.855.8
UHC service coverage (0–100)8282
Life expectancy75.3 yrs75.3 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricAyutthayaPhuket
Download41.5 Mbps ✓28 Mbps
Upload27.6 Mbps ✓16.6 Mbps

Visa

MetricAyutthayaPhuket
Nomad visaDestination Thailand Visa (DTV)Destination Thailand Visa (DTV)
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passport30 days30 days
Entry, EU passport30 days30 days
Entry, UK passport30 days30 days

Getting there and around

MetricAyutthayaPhuket
Non-stop airport destinations175 ✓67
Walkability (1–5, editorial)3 ✓1
Transit (1–5, editorial)2 ✓1

Climate and air

MetricAyutthayaPhuket
Comfortable months per year33
Annual mean PM2.521 µg/m³17 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Ayutthaya or Phuket?
Ayutthaya is cheaper: about $1,000 per month versus $1,311 for one person.
Is Ayutthaya or Phuket safer?
Ayutthaya scores higher on safety (51 vs 51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Ayutthaya or Phuket?
Ayutthaya: a measured median of 41.5 Mbps versus 28 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Official entry rules that changed after the Passport Index snapshot; OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.