Which part of Phuket is best for families?

It depends on the school, because traffic at the Heroines Monument and Koh Kaew makes long school runs painful. The south (Chalong and Rawai) has the most international schools and mid-range rents, Phuket Town is the cheapest and closest to the hospitals, inland Thalang is quiet and near UWC and the airport, and Bang Tao and Laguna are the most expensive, with the most resort-style facilities.

How much does it cost to rent a family home in Phuket?

By Phuket 101's October 2026 figures for twelve-month leases, a three-bedroom pool villa costs about 30,000 to 55,000 baht a month in Phuket Town, 38,000 to 70,000 in Chalong, 45,000 to 90,000 in Rawai and Nai Harn, and 60,000 to 150,000 in Bang Tao and Laguna. Electricity for a pool villa adds roughly 3,500 to 6,500 baht a month.

Where are the hospitals in Phuket?

The main hospitals, Bangkok Hospital Phuket, Bangkok Hospital Siriroj, Mission Hospital and Vachira Phuket Hospital, are all in or near Phuket Town. Patong Hospital has a 24-hour emergency room, and Bangkok Phuket Clinic has branches in Laguna, Kamala, Rawai and Srisunthon. See where to take a sick child in Phuket.

Which area has the most international schools?

Chalong and Rawai in the south, with eight of the 18 schools in our directory. Phuket Town and Koh Kaew have four, including BISP.

Where to Live in Phuket with Kids: Areas, Schools and Rents (2026)

Phuket is a small island, but where you live decides how long the school run takes, how far you are from a hospital and what you pay in rent. This guide goes through the five areas where families actually live, with the international schools in each one, the nearest hospitals and clinics, what a family home costs to rent and what the traffic is like. Rents are Phuket 101's figures for twelve-month furnished leases in October 2026. School details come from our schools directory.

Start with the school

Most families choose the school first and then look for a home nearby, and on Phuket that order matters. The main north to south road, Thepkasattri Road, runs through two well-known bottlenecks: the Heroines Monument roundabout in Thalang, which the local traffic police call the worst on the island, and the Koh Kaew intersection near BISP, where police control U-turns from 7 to 9am and 4 to 6pm because it jams at school drop-off. Cherngtalay on the west coast has rush-hour queues of its own. Living on the far side of one of these from your school can turn a short drive into a long one.

Of the 18 international schools in our directory, eight are in Chalong and Rawai in the south, four are in and around Phuket Town, three are in Thalang in the north, two are in Kathu and two are on the west coast in Cherngtalay (HeadStart has campuses in both Phuket Town and Cherngtalay). The island's main hospitals are all in or near Phuket Town.

Cherngtalay, Bang Tao and Laguna

The west coast around Bang Tao Beach is the most expensive place to live on the island and the one newcomers hear about first, with the Laguna resort complex, Boat Avenue and Porto de Phuket for shopping, and Blue Tree for the kids. Phuket 101 puts a three-bedroom pool villa at 60,000 to 150,000 baht a month in Bang Tao and Laguna, and 70,000 to 200,000 baht or more in Surin and Cherngtalay, with homes inside Laguna at the top of the range.

Schools on this side are HeadStart's Cherngtalay campus, which goes up to Year 9 before students move to the Chaofah campus near Phuket Town, and the small nature-based Bamboo Valley. UWC Thailand and Glenalmond are the nearest larger schools, inland on Thepkasattri Road, and North London Collegiate School plans to open a campus in the Bang Tao and Cherngtalay area in 2028. Bangkok Phuket Clinic has branches in Laguna and Kamala, but the hospitals are in Phuket Town. For the kids there is Adventure Village, REBEL Rock Climbing, kids BJJ and surf lessons on Bang Tao Beach in the surf season.

Thalang and the north

Inland Thalang, between the airport and the Heroines Monument, is quieter, greener and much cheaper. Phuket 101 counts inland Thalang among its budget areas, where a three-bedroom pool villa runs 35,000 to 55,000 baht a month. It is home to UWC Thailand, Glenalmond Phuket, which opened in August 2026 inside Thanyapura, and Life School in Si Sunthon, as well as Thanyapura itself for swimming, tennis and holiday camps.

The trade-off is the drive to the hospitals in Phuket Town, through the Heroines Monument. Bangkok Phuket Clinic has a branch in Srisunthon, and Bumrungrad International Hospital is building a hospital at Mai Khao in the far north, now scheduled for the third quarter of 2027. Being close to the airport is a real plus for families who fly back and forth to Bangkok.

Phuket Town, Wichit and Koh Kaew

Phuket Town and the suburbs around it are the practical choice: the lowest rents on the island, the big shopping malls, and every main hospital close by, including Bangkok Hospital Phuket and Bangkok Hospital Siriroj, both with children's clinics open into the evening. Phuket 101 puts a three-bedroom pool villa at 30,000 to 55,000 baht a month here, with townhouses from 15,000 baht.

Schools here include BISP in Koh Kaew, HeadStart's Chaofah campus, Oak Meadow in Wichit and Finnway near Boat Lagoon. For weekends there is Aquaria under Central Phuket Floresta, the Ice Arena at Boat Lagoon, Formula Fun Karting and the Old Town and its Sunday Walking Street. The catch is the distance to the beaches, and the Koh Kaew intersection at school time if you live on the wrong side of it.

Kathu and Patong

Kathu sits in the valley between Phuket Town and Patong, with two of the island's more affordable schools, Kajonkiet (KISP) and QSI. Phuket 101 doesn't give Kathu rents separately. Patong itself is built around tourism and nightlife, so families who want to be on this side of the island usually live in Kathu; in Patong a three-bedroom pool villa runs 50,000 to 100,000 baht a month. Kathu is close to Andamanda, Phuket Wake Park and Flying Hanuman, and Patong Hospital has a 24-hour emergency room.

Chalong, Rawai and Nai Harn

The south has the most schools and a large, settled expat community. Eight of the 18 schools in our directory are here: BCIS, RIS Phuket, Lighthouse, PGIS, Montessori House, École Française Jean de La Fontaine, ISP and Buds. Chalong is the cheaper half, with three-bedroom pool villas at 38,000 to 70,000 baht a month, against 45,000 to 90,000 baht in Rawai and Nai Harn, which are closer to the beaches.

Bangkok Phuket Clinic has a branch in Rawai, but the hospitals are in Phuket Town. Weekends mean Nai Harn and Rawai beaches, the Big Buddha and boat trips from Chalong Pier. Kata and Karon, over the hill to the west, are mostly holiday towns, with pool villas at 45,000 to 85,000 baht a month, though some families do live there and ISP's school bus covers both.

Before you sign a lease

Phuket 101's advice is to rent by the month for two or three months first, ideally in two different areas, before signing a year's lease. A twelve-month lease signed in the low season also locks in the lower low-season rent for the whole year.

Budget for a pool villa's running costs as well as the rent. Phuket 101 estimates electricity for a three-bedroom pool villa at 3,500 to 6,500 baht a month with sensible air conditioning, and several times that with it running all day. Pool cleaning and a gardener are often included in a villa lease, but not always, so ask. Most listings we looked at ask for a two-month deposit plus the first month's rent in advance.

If you are thinking of buying rather than renting, our Bangkok site has a guide to what foreigners can and cannot own in Thailand. School fees usually outweigh the rent, so see our Phuket school fees guide too, and if you are weighing boarding instead of a move, our guide to boarding schools in Phuket for Bangkok families.