Labour: +33% in ten years
The minimum daily wage is the baseline for the cost of any work on a building site.
| Year | Phuket minimum wage, ฿ per day |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 300 (a single nationwide rate since 2013) |
| 2017 | 310 |
| 2025 | 400 |
| 2026 | 400 |
Since 2016, Phuket's minimum wage has risen by a third — from 300 to 400 baht a day. Skilled tradespeople earn above the minimum, so in a real quote the increase is felt even more.
Building materials: roughly +13%
Thailand's Ministry of Commerce publishes a construction materials price index with 2015 set at 100. At the end of 2025 the index stood at about 113 — meaning materials became roughly 13% more expensive on average over ten years. That's well below the rise in labour costs.
Materials don't rise evenly, though. In early 2016 cement and timber were getting cheaper while steel jumped 6.8% in a quarter (Thai Appraisal Foundation data). Today a 50 kg bag of Portland cement costs about ฿110–157 depending on the brand (October 2025). And overall construction costs rose 4.57% in 2026 year on year.
Groceries and living costs today
There are no verifiable prices for specific grocery items in Phuket shops for 2016 in open sources, and we won't make them up. So here are today's average prices — handy for checking against your own memories.
| Item or service | October 2026, ฿ |
|---|---|
| Milk, 1 l | 57 |
| Eggs, 12 | 72 |
| White rice, 1 kg | 52 |
| Chicken fillet, 1 kg | 113 |
| Water, 1.5 l | 18 |
| Petrol, 1 l | 49 |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant | 150 |
| One-bedroom apartment outside the centre, per month | 15,600 |
Averages from Numbeo user data, updated 2 October 2026.
What this means for renovation
- Labour is what's getting more expensive. Labour rose by a third in ten years, materials by about 13%. Cutting corners on tradespeople is a bad idea: cheap work usually means doing it twice.
- Old quotes go stale. A quote made a couple of years ago almost certainly won't match reality today.
- Fix the price in the contract. Scope, timeline and cost agreed before work starts protect you from price rises mid-project.
Need a quote at today's prices? We'll visit for free and cost out the renovation of your property. Message us on WhatsApp.
Sources
- Tilleke & Gibbins — minimum wage from 1 January 2017 (฿300 → ฿310 in Phuket)
- ASEAN Briefing — minimum wage 2025 (Phuket ฿400)
- Tilleke & Gibbins — minimum wage by province, 2026
- CEIC — Thailand construction materials price index (2015 = 100)
- Builder News — AREA/Thai Appraisal: construction costs, Q1 2016
- Thai Appraisal Foundation — construction cost 2026
- Thai Pride Cement — cement prices, 2025
- Numbeo — cost of living in Phuket (02.10.2026)
