Food & Drink – Phuket Prices
Before heading off to pastures new for two or three months, it’s useful to have a general idea of the cost of living in your chosen destination. Assuming you are not going to eat out every night – the local food may be delicious but sometimes there’s no substitute for home cooking – that general idea will include the cost of food, drink and other household goods.
Phuket is fairly cosmopolitan with many of the conveniences foreigners take for granted in their home countries, including supermarkets. It boasts a number of Tescos (called Tesco Lotus in Phuket), Waitrose in the form of Tops supermarket in Central Festival, Carrefour in JungCeylon in Patong and Villa Market, of which there is a new one about to open in Chalong.
Of course, you wouldn’t be getting a true feel for the place if you relied totally on supermarkets for your shopping, but they are convenient, and in Phuket the prices aren’t bad. If you really want to go local, there are loads of food markets around where you will find some, but not all, of the goods listed below, and often considerably cheaper. However, short of trawling the entire island for the best value, we thought that a general idea could at least be gained from a list of supermarket prices.
The table below is compiled from the prices in the Tops (Waitrose) supermarket in Central Festival. The only exceptions are the vegetable & salad items, which were from the hydroponic salad outlet described below (the supermarket prices are in fact comparable), and the rice, which was from Sakura, our local corner store…
A few comments on the table:
- The list is fairly short on meat as the price varies hugely depending on where the meat comes from. If you buy imported Australian beef, for example, you will pay a considerable premium. We buy the local stuff, and it’s fine.
- Oddly enough, given Phuket is an island with an active fishing fleet, the price of fish in the supermarkets and restaurants tends to be quite high. By contrast, if you go to one of the fish markets, you can get a much better deal.
- One item that’s missing is a personal favourite: rooibos tea. It’s hard to come by so if you are a fan, bring it with you.
- The vegetable & salad items listed are really just an example of what’s available. Supermarkets offer an adequate variety and the prices are reasonable. A good alternative for hydroponically grown, fresh garden produce can be found at an outlet on Chao Fa Road West about half way between Chalong Circle (roundabout) and Central Festival. It’s opposite a large Korean restaurant and near some traffic lights. Look out for the ‘Salad’ sign.
- The quality of bread varies a lot. Thais tend to prefer a sweeter variety, so there’s plenty of that. For fresh, European-style bread, the Tops supermarket has a good selection. Alternatively there are bakeries around such as Au Des Lys and La Boulangerie, both of which are on Chao Fa Road West; Au Des Lys not too far from Central Festival and La Boulangerie closer to Chalong. Au Des Lys is run by a delightfully scatty French lady and as well as bread, there are delicious pastries, sandwiches and coffee. There is another good bakery, Flints-One, on Chao Fa Road East just past Wine Connection.
- Wine is relatively expensive in Thailand, disproportionately more so than spirits, of which there are plenty of cheap Asian varieties. For a reasonable bottle you would pay upwards of 500 baht, although some cheaper wines are available. One of the many Wine Connection shops is worth a visit; they often have special offers. Beer, on the other hand, is cheap – you can buy Chang beer is 33 baht for a large (66cl) bottle in the local shops.
- The sale of alcohol is subject to restrictions. You can only buy it between 11 a.m. and 2p.m. and from 5 p.m. until midnight. This rule does not apply if you’re buying quantities greater than 10 litres at a time, in which case you can buy it at any time.
- Some organic food is available in Phuket, mainly in the supermarkets. As with most countries, the prices tend to be a bit higher.
