Phuket transport cost index: October 2026
In short: on October 2, 2026, getting from Patong to Kata (13.6 km) costs 305 ฿ on Bolt, 250 to 500 ฿ on Grab, 500 to 600 ฿ by taxi, 400 to 600 ฿ by tuk-tuk, 100 ฿ on the Smart Bus... and 13 ฿ of fuel on a scooter. A litre of Gasohol 95 is at 40.69 ฿. Over a typical day for two, the scooter comes to about 300 ฿, against 1,280 ฿ on Bolt and 2,200 ฿ by taxi.
This cost index comes out every month at the same address. It does one job: telling you, before you get into any vehicle, what a normal price is in Phuket today for each trip. Use it to haggle with a tuk-tuk, check a taxi flat fare or decide whether a motorbike rental is worth it for your stay.
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NMAX from 200 ฿ per day in low season, two helmets and basic insurance included. Firm price in writing on WhatsApp.
Ask for my priceTrip by trip: what each way of getting around costs from Patong
One-way fares, in baht, surveyed on October 2, 2026 (excluding peak surcharges). The "scooter" column only counts the fuel for a Yamaha NMAX, without the rental, so you can see what each kilometre costs.
| From Patong to... | Distance | Scooter fuel | Bolt (car) | Grab (car) | Taxi (flat fare) | Tuk-tuk | Bus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A short hop within Patong | 2-3 km | 3 ฿ | not surveyed | 80-120 ฿ | not surveyed | 150-200 ฿ | no |
| Kamala | 9 km | 9 ฿ | not surveyed | 250-380 ฿ | 400-500 ฿ | 400-600 ฿ | 100 ฿ (Smart Bus) |
| Kata | 13.6 km | 13 ฿ | 305 ฿ | 250-500 ฿ | 500-600 ฿ | 400-600 ฿ | 100 ฿ (Smart Bus) |
| Phuket Town (Old Town) | 15 km | 14 ฿ | 335 ฿ | 300-550 ฿ | 500-600 ฿ | 600-900 ฿ | 50 ฿ (Smart Bus line 2) |
| Promthep Cape | 18.4 km | 17 ฿ | 500-800 ฿ (estimate) | 600-800 ฿ | not surveyed | no | |
| Big Buddha | 23 km | 22 ฿ | not surveyed | 300-400 ฿* | 500-600 ฿ | not surveyed | no |
| Airport (HKT) | 35 km | 33 ฿ | 571 ฿ | 750-950 ฿ | 800-1,000 ฿ | 1,000-1,500 ฿ | 100 ฿ (Smart Bus) |
Bolt: the app's official fare estimator, checked on 02/10/2026. Grab, taxi, tuk-tuk: ranges published in 2026 by several Phuket guides that agree with each other. * Only one source for Big Buddha, treat with caution. Fuel: NMAX at 2.3 L/100 km, fuel at about 41.5 ฿ per litre in Phuket.
What the table shows: on the same trip, a tuk-tuk often costs double what Bolt does, and a flat-fare taxi sits somewhere in between. The official meter exists (50 ฿ flag fall then 12 ฿ per kilometre, so about 210 ฿ for Kata), but almost no driver in Patong uses it: that's why the apps have taken over.
The break-even point: how many rides before a motorbike wins
This is the sum nobody does for you. We compare the price of one day on a scooter (rental plus fuel) with the price of a ride in a Bolt car, the cheapest app in the table.
| Scooter (ScootZone rate) | Cost of one day, fuel included | Equals... |
|---|---|---|
| NMAX, low season (200-300 ฿) | about 250-350 ฿ | 1 single ride Patong-Kata on Bolt |
| NMAX, high season (500-600 ฿) | about 550-650 ฿ | 2 rides Patong-Kata on Bolt |
| ADV 160, low season (300-400 ฿) | about 350-450 ฿ | 1 to 1.5 rides on Bolt |
| X-ADV 750, low season (900-1,200 ฿) | about 1,000-1,300 ฿ | 3 to 4 rides on Bolt |
Worked out on 50 km a day. If two of you ride the same scooter, halve the cost per person: the apps charge per vehicle, but the motorbike-taxi option only takes one passenger.
In practice: in October and November, a motorbike pays for itself as soon as you make more than one trip a day. In high season, you need two trips. And if you hardly leave your hotel, keep the rental money: two or three app rides over the week will cost you less.
Out and about every day?
Tell us your dates: we give you the total price, fuel on top, so you can compare with the apps.
Work out my totalA typical day for two: 57 km, six ways to pay for it
Take a real holiday day in Patong: Kata beach in the afternoon, dinner in the old town of Phuket Town in the evening, back to the hotel. That's two round trips, about 57 km, for a couple.
| Way of getting around | Sum | Total for two |
|---|---|---|
| NMAX scooter (low season) | 250 ฿ of rental + 54 ฿ of fuel | about 300 ฿ |
| Smart Bus | 2 × (100 + 100 + 50 + 50 ฿), one bus an hour | about 600 ฿ |
| Bolt car | 2 × 305 ฿ + 2 × 335 ฿ | 1,280 ฿ |
| Bolt motorbike taxi | two bikes: 2 × (2 × 155 ฿ + 2 × 180 ฿) | 1,340 ฿ |
| Grab car | middle of the ranges: 2 × 375 ฿ + 2 × 425 ฿ | about 1,600 ฿ |
| Flat-fare taxi | 2 × 550 ฿ + 2 × 550 ฿ | about 2,200 ฿ |
| Tuk-tuk | 2 × 500 ฿ + 2 × 750 ฿ | about 2,500 ฿ |
The bus is the only one that rivals the scooter on price. But it runs once an hour, it doesn't go beach to beach off its own line, and the last bus leaves early for some destinations: the Phuket Town line stops around 8 pm. For dinner in town, plan on an app ride back, which pushes the bill up again.
Over a week: a couple's transport budget
Same rhythm as the typical day, seven days in a row. Apps and flat fares are counted without peak surcharges: in reality, add 10 to 30% for evenings and rainy days.
| Option | Low season (October) | High season (Dec-March) |
|---|---|---|
| NMAX scooter (rental + fuel) | about 2,100 ฿ | about 4,200 ฿ |
| Bolt car | about 9,000 ฿ | 9,000 ฿ and up, with surcharges |
| Grab car | about 11,200 ฿ | 11,200 ฿ and up |
| Self-drive rental car | 4,900 to 8,800 ฿, fuel included, + 5,000 ฿ deposit | 8,000 to 10,900 ฿, fuel included |
| Car with driver (8 h a day) | 14,000 to 17,500 ฿ | 14,000 ฿ and up |
Self-drive car: 550 to 1,100 ฿ per day in low season and 1,000 to 1,400 ฿ in high season (September 2026 survey), about 1,070 ฿ of fuel for 400 km. Driver by the day: 2,000 to 2,500 ฿ in most offers, fuel included.
Over seven days the gap gets huge: about 7,000 ฿ saved on a scooter compared with Bolt in low season, the price of several dinners or a boat trip. And from 7 days of rental at ScootZone, hotel delivery is free: you don't even pay for a ride to go and pick up the motorbike.
Fuel, parking, fines: the small costs of a scooter
The rental price isn't everything. Here are the other expenses, priced as of October 2, 2026:
- Fuel: Gasohol 95 at 40.69 ฿ per litre, Gasohol 91 at 40.32 ฿, E20 at 35.69 ฿ (reference price in Bangkok, up 0.75 ฿ that day; count on 0.40 to 1.50 ฿ more in Phuket). A full tank on a NMAX (7.1 L) costs about 290 ฿ and lasts about 300 km. Roadside bottles cost 40 to 50 ฿ per litre: handy in a pinch, pricier than a station.
- Parking: free in most streets of Patong, Kata and Karon. At the Jungceylon shopping centre, 30 minutes free then 20 ฿ per hour (3 hours free with 200 ฿ of purchases). About 20 ฿ in the guarded car parks near Bangla Road.
- No-helmet fine: up to 2,000 ฿ per person, passenger included. It's the most expensive item in the table, and the easiest to avoid: we provide two helmets with every scooter. For the licence, read our guide on the licence you need to ride a scooter in Thailand.
- Insurance: at ScootZone, basic insurance is included (bodily injury covered up to 30,000 ฿). It isn't comprehensive cover: take out travel insurance that covers riding a two-wheeler as well.
As for the guarantee, there's no cash deposit with us: we keep your passport as a guarantee during the rental and hand it back at drop-off, after the filmed check.
Ready to ride?
Basic insurance, two helmets and a filmed check at pick-up and drop-off. Reply 24/7 on WhatsApp.
See availabilityWhen an app or a taxi is still the right call
The scooter wins on price, not in every situation. Take an app or a taxi in these cases:
- Arriving with your luggage: Smart Bus at 100 ฿ per person if you travel light, otherwise Bolt (571 ฿) or the airport taxi (800 to 1,000 ฿).
- An evening when you've been drinking: don't ride. A Bolt ride within Patong costs less than a fine, and far less than an accident.
- A tropical storm: in October, afternoon downpours are still common. Wait twenty minutes under cover or take a car.
- No valid motorbike licence: without the right category, your travel insurance can refuse to pay after an accident. In that case, apps and buses are the answer.
For the full comparison of the pros and limits of each way of getting around (comfort, timetables, safety), our guide scooter, taxi, Grab or tuk-tuk goes into everything. This index gives you the month's prices.
What will change in November
In early October, Phuket is at the end of the green season: quiet roads, little waiting on the apps, few surcharges. Here is what we see every year in Patong as high season arrives:
- Apps: more demand in the evening, so more frequent surcharges, especially around Bangla Road between 10 pm and 2 am.
- Taxis and tuk-tuks: the displayed flat fares barely move, but haggling gets harder when the streets are full.
- Scooters: rental prices rise with demand. At ScootZone, the NMAX goes from 200-300 ฿ to 500-600 ฿ per day in high season, which is why booking early is worth it.
The next edition, in early November 2026, will check these trends with a fresh survey. For the rental prices themselves, see our motorbike rental price index.
Method: where these figures come from
- Survey date: October 2, 2026.
- Apps: Bolt's official fare estimator for the trips where it is published; for Grab, ranges from several Phuket guides published in 2026, leaving out one isolated source clearly lower than the others.
- Taxis and tuk-tuks: negotiated flat fares published in 2026 by several guides that agree; meter rate according to taxi regulations.
- Bus: published Phuket Smart Bus fares (100 ฿ line 1, 50 ฿ line 2, 1-day pass at 299 ฿ and 7-day pass at 799 ฿).
- Fuel: official prices of the day (Gasohol 91, 95 and E20), manufacturers' consumption figures; distances via route estimators.
- Limits: app fares change from hour to hour; those shown exclude surcharges. When only one source exists, we say so.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Grab or a Bolt cost in Phuket in October 2026?
From Patong, a car ride costs around 300 to 350 ฿ to reach Kata or the old town of Phuket Town, and 570 to 950 ฿ to the airport. On October 2, 2026, Bolt's official fare estimator showed 305 ฿ for Patong-Kata (13.6 km), 335 ฿ for Patong-Old Town and 571 ฿ for airport-Patong. Grab is usually a bit more expensive: 250 to 500 ฿ for Kata, 300 to 550 ฿ for Phuket Town, 750 to 950 ฿ for the airport, according to guides published in 2026. These fares climb by 10 to 30% at peak hours, when it rains and in the evening in Patong. The motorbike-taxi version of the app costs about half (155 ฿ for Kata on Bolt), but it only takes one passenger.
How much does a taxi or a tuk-tuk cost in Patong?
Patong's taxis and tuk-tuks run on negotiated flat fares, almost never on the meter. Count on 400 to 500 ฿ for Karon or Kamala, and 500 to 600 ฿ for Kata, Phuket Town or Big Buddha by taxi. A tuk-tuk asks 150 to 200 ฿ for a short hop within Patong, 400 to 600 ฿ to reach a neighbouring beach and 600 to 900 ฿ for Phuket Town. The official meter does exist: 50 ฿ flag fall then 12 ฿ per kilometre, which would come to about 210 ฿ for Kata. If a driver agrees to switch the meter on, it is almost always cheaper than the flat fare. Always agree the price before you get in.
Is renting a motorbike cheaper than taking Grab in Phuket?
Yes, from the very first ride of the day in low season. A Yamaha NMAX rents for 200 to 300 ฿ per day at ScootZone from October to the end of November, and it uses about 1 ฿ of fuel per kilometre. A single Patong-Kata round trip in a Bolt car already costs 610 ฿. On a typical day (Kata in the daytime, Phuket Town in the evening, 57 km), the scooter comes to about 300 ฿ for two people, against 1,280 ฿ on Bolt and 1,600 ฿ on Grab. In high season, when the NMAX goes up to 500-600 ฿, the scooter still wins from two rides a day. The apps keep the edge for a single trip in the evening, when you've been drinking or when it's pouring.
How much does fuel cost for a scooter in Phuket?
On October 2, 2026, a litre of Gasohol 95 costs 40.69 ฿ and Gasohol 91 costs 40.32 ฿ (reference price in Bangkok, published by the Ministry of Energy). In Phuket, stations usually charge 0.40 to 1.50 ฿ more, and the bottles sold by the roadside cost 40 to 50 ฿ per litre. A Yamaha NMAX uses about 2.3 litres per 100 km, so a little under 1 ฿ per kilometre: Patong-Kata comes to 13 ฿, Patong-airport to 33 ฿. A full tank on a NMAX (7.1 litres) costs around 290 ฿. An X-ADV 750 uses 3.6 litres per 100 km, so 1.5 ฿ per kilometre.
How do you get from Phuket airport to Patong and how much does it cost?
The cheapest is the Phuket Smart Bus: 100 ฿ per person, flat fare, one bus an hour from about 8:15 am to 11:30 pm. It serves Patong on its line 1, which runs down to Rawai. By car, Bolt showed 571 ฿ on October 2, 2026, Grab runs around 750 to 950 ฿, and the official airport taxi charges a flat 800 to 1,000 ฿ for the Patong zone (700 to 800 ฿ when a driver uses the meter). The trip is 35 km and takes 50 minutes to 1 hour 15 depending on traffic. Another option: have your motorbike delivered to your hotel. At ScootZone, hotel delivery is free from 7 days of rental.
Where do you park a scooter in Patong and how much does it cost?
In most streets of Patong, Kata and Karon, scooter parking is free, in the marked bays or in front of the shops. Paid car parks are still rare. At the Jungceylon shopping centre, in the heart of Patong, the first 30 minutes are free, then it's 20 ฿ per hour (3 hours free with 200 ฿ of purchases, 50 ฿ per hour beyond 5 hours). Near Bangla Road and the seafront, some guarded car parks ask about 20 ฿. Avoid parking on kerbs painted red and white: it's forbidden, and the police clamp or tow scooters parked there.
What's the fine for riding without a helmet in Phuket?
Up to 2,000 ฿ per person without a helmet, rider and passenger alike, under Thai road traffic law. Checks are frequent in Patong and on the main roads, especially since 2025. A single no-helmet fine therefore costs as much as 7 to 10 days of NMAX rental in low season, and for two people the bill doubles. It's the easiest hidden cost to avoid: at ScootZone, two helmets come with every scooter. The helmet also protects your insurance, as many travel insurers refuse to pay for treatment after an accident without a helmet. For the licence, check the rules in our dedicated guide before you leave.
When is this cost index updated?
Every month, at the same address. On a set date we record the app fares (Bolt estimator, recent Grab guides), the taxi and tuk-tuk flat fares, the bus fare, the official fuel price and parking rates, then recalculate the sample budgets. This first edition dates from October 2, 2026, at the end of low season. The next one is planned for early November 2026, when high season gets going and app fares and flat rates start to climb. If you paid a very different price for a ride, send us the route and the amount on WhatsApp and we'll check it for the next edition.
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