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Best places to live in Phuket: an area guide

Phuket Town suits buyers who want services, schools and the old town close by, Kata and Karon suit those who want a beach with restaurants, Kamala and Surin are quieter, and Rawai and Nai Harn sit at the southern end of the island.1 The drive times in this guide are the tourism authority's, which assume normal traffic and are approximate.

Keybaan lists new developments across Thailand, including Phuket. The listings below sit in the areas this guide covers, and each shows its price in the same way as on the Listings page. Use Keybaan Instant to tell us what you want.

How Phuket is laid out

Phuket is about 860 km south of Bangkok, or 862 km by another count, and mountains cover about 77 per cent of the island.12 The west coast carries the beaches, and Phuket Town is the centre of the island.

Phuket Airport is in Mai Khao, about 32 km north of Phuket Town.3 The seasons run dry from November to March, hot from April to May and green from June to October.1

Phuket Town

Phuket Town has a Sino-Portuguese old town and a tin mining heritage. Songthaew buses run from the town to the beaches about every 30 minutes, from roughly 07:00 to 18:00.1 The city had a population of 71,284 in 2024.2

The town is the base for several schools and hospitals, covered below, and most of the restaurants on our Phuket restaurant list are here.

Kata and Karon

Kata is split into Kata Yai in the north, with hotels, restaurants and bars, and the quieter Kata Noi in the south. Karon has the long straight Karon Yai and, in the north, the more private Karon Noi.45 Both are about 30 minutes from Phuket Town and about 50 minutes from the airport, and Patong is about 20 minutes from Kata and about 15 from Karon by car.45

Kamala and Surin

Kamala is quiet and compact. It lies about 5 km north of Patong, which is 15 to 20 minutes by car, and international hotels have been built there in recent years.6

Surin is quiet and popular with local people. It is about 24 km from Phuket Town, and the drive takes 30 to 40 minutes.7

Bang Tao and the north

The tourism authority names Bang Tao as the beach with the high end resorts of Laguna Phuket.1 Choeng Thale and Thalang, where the airport and several schools sit, lie further north. We have no confirmed drive times for this stretch, so use a map before you rely on a commute.

Rawai and Nai Harn

Rawai faces east at the southern end, and the sea is calm all year. It is about 30 minutes from Phuket Town and 50 from the airport.8 Nai Harn, near Promthep Cape on the southern tip, has white sand, clear water and sunsets, and the tourism authority puts it about 10 minutes by car from Rawai.9

Schools and hospitals

  • British International School Phuket, 59 Moo 2 Thepkrasattri Road, Koh Kaew.10
  • UWC Thailand, 115/15 Moo 7 Thepkrasattri Road, Thalang. The school says it is only a 10 minute drive from Phuket's international airport.11
  • HeadStart International School, with campuses at Chaofah City on Vichitsongkram Road and in Cherngtalay on Srisoonthorn Road, Thalang.12

The tourism authority's Phuket page names Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Phuket International Hospital as contacts.1 Bangkok Hospital Siriroj gives its address as 44 Chalermprakiat Rama 9 Road, Wichit.13 A local healthcare directory lists Bangkok Hospital Phuket at 2/1 Hongyok U-Thit Road, Talat Yai, Mission Hospital at 4/1 Moo 3 Thepkrasattri Road, Vachira Phuket Hospital at 353 Yaowarat Road, Thalang Hospital at 358 Moo 1 Thepkrasattri Road, Chalong Hospital at 99 Chalong and Patong Hospital at 57 Sainamyen Road, Kathu.14 Those directory addresses are secondary and unconfirmed, so check them with each hospital. This guide makes no claim on school fees, rankings or catchments.

Getting around and reaching the airport

Songthaew buses link the town with the beaches, and the beach pages give car times to the town and the airport. Kata, Karon and Rawai are all about 30 minutes from the town and 50 from the airport. Nai Yang is about 15 minutes by car from the airport.45815

Starting prices and what we do not have

Each Phuket listing shows the price from the developer where one is given. Where only agent or portal figures exist, the card reads Guide price with the date we checked it, and where sources conflict or give no figure it reads Price on request. We never pick a figure from conflicting sources.

This guide also has no confirmed information on flooding, traffic or noise for any Phuket area. Visit the area at the time of day you would live there.

Next steps

Read the Phuket beach guide for the coast area by area, and the freehold condominium guide for how a foreign buyer owns a unit. If you would like a Phuket shortlist, start Keybaan Instant or message us on WhatsApp.

The rules on foreign ownership are summarised in can foreigners buy property in Thailand.

New Phuket listings in these areas

RIVERHOUSE Phuket

Pool villas (loft style, solar powered) · Cherngtalay (Bang Tao) · 2 bed to 4 bed

FromTHB 25,490,000

Price checked 23 Oct 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Does Keybaan list Phuket properties?

Yes. Keybaan lists new developments in Phuket, and several of them are shown on this page. Open the Listings page and choose Phuket in the area filter to see them all, or use Keybaan Instant to tell us what you want.

Which Phuket areas are quietest?

The tourism authority describes Kamala as quiet and compact and Surin as quiet and popular with local people.

How far is Phuket Airport from the beaches?

Kata, Karon and Rawai are about 50 minutes from the airport by the tourism authority's figures, and Nai Yang is about 15 minutes. The airport is in Mai Khao, about 32 km north of Phuket Town.

Are there international schools in Phuket?

British International School Phuket, UWC Thailand and HeadStart International School are all listed here with their locations. Ask each school about fees and admissions.

Sources

Last checked 23 October 2026. Wikipedia and Wikivoyage style pages are secondary sources. Pages from the Tourism Authority of Thailand Japan office are in Japanese and are summarised here in our own words.

  1. Tourism Authority of Thailand, Japan office (Japanese-language page), “Phuket area guide”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://www.thailandtravel.or.jp/areainfo/phuket/
  2. Wikipedia, “Phuket”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phuket
  3. Wikipedia, “Phuket International Airport”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phuket_International_Airport
  4. Tourism Authority of Thailand, Japan office (Japanese-language page), “Kata Beach”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://www.thailandtravel.or.jp/kata-beach/
  5. Tourism Authority of Thailand, Japan office (Japanese-language page), “Karon Beach”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://www.thailandtravel.or.jp/karon-beach/
  6. Tourism Authority of Thailand, Japan office (Japanese-language page), “Kamala Beach”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://www.thailandtravel.or.jp/kamala-beach/
  7. Tourism Authority of Thailand, Japan office (Japanese-language page), “Surin Beach”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://www.thailandtravel.or.jp/surin-beach/
  8. Tourism Authority of Thailand, Japan office (Japanese-language page), “Rawai Beach”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://www.thailandtravel.or.jp/rawai-beach/
  9. Tourism Authority of Thailand, Japan office (Japanese-language page), “Nai Harn Beach”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://www.thailandtravel.or.jp/nai-harn-beach/
  10. British International School Phuket, “Enquiries”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://www.bisphuket.ac.th/enquiries/
  11. UWC Thailand, “Contact us”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://www.uwcthailand.ac.th/quicklinks/contact-us
  12. HeadStart International School Phuket, “Chaofah City campus”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://old.headstartphuket.com/chaofah-city
  13. Bangkok Hospital Siriroj, “Location”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/siriroj/contact/location
  14. Phuket to the Face, “Phuket healthcare directory”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://phukettotheface.com/phuket-healthcare
  15. Tourism Authority of Thailand, Japan office (Japanese-language page), “Nai Yang Beach”, Checked 23 October 2026. https://www.thailandtravel.or.jp/nai-yang-beach/

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Take independent legal advice before you buy.

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