Foreign buyers are reshaping Phuket’s property market as resort villas, condominiums and long-term residences drive demand across the island.

🗓️ September 12, 2026
📍 Phuket, Thailand

🏝️ Phuket’s Property Market Hits 705 Billion Baht — Foreign Buyers Drive the Boom

Phuket’s property market is getting bigger, more expensive and increasingly international.

A new 2026 survey estimates that properties currently on the market across Phuket are worth a staggering 705 billion baht.

That makes Phuket the largest regional property market in Thailand, ahead of major destinations such as Chonburi, Rayong and Chiang Mai.

And there’s one big reason behind the growth: foreign buyers.

Russian, Chinese, European, Middle Eastern and other international buyers are increasingly looking at Phuket not just as a holiday destination, but as a place to live, invest, retire or own a second home.

💰 So, how big is the Phuket property market?

The 2026 survey by the Thai Real Estate Research and Valuation Center (AREA) found 90,597 residential and accommodation units currently on the market.

The total value of those properties is 705.055 billion baht, spread across 806 property projects throughout Phuket.

Around 85% of the units have already been sold, while properties are selling at roughly 5.2% of available stock per month.

If no new projects were launched, the existing properties would take approximately 19 months to sell out.

That’s a pretty healthy market — but there’s an important twist.

Not all parts of the market are moving at the same speed.

📈 Phuket is selling fewer homes — but much more expensive ones

Phuket launched 13,779 new units in 2026.

That’s actually fewer than Chonburi and Rayong.

But here’s where Phuket stands out: the average price of a new Phuket property is around 12.8 million baht per unit.

So Phuket isn’t necessarily winning by selling the most properties. It’s winning by selling more expensive properties.

🏖️ Villas and resort condos are the real stars

If you picture Phuket property, you’re probably imagining a swimming pool, palm trees and a villa overlooking the sea.

You’re not wrong.

Resort villas and resort condominiums make up about 52% of all units currently on the market.

But their importance becomes even clearer when you look at their value.

In other words, more than half of the properties account for roughly four-fifths of the market’s value.

That’s a very strong indication that Phuket’s property market is heavily tilted towards the higher end.

🇹🇭 What about Thai buyers?

This is where things get interesting.

Thai buyers tend to shop in a very different part of the market.

Meanwhile, Phuket’s resort villas are playing in a completely different league.

Around 43% of resort villas are priced between 20 million and 40 million baht.

That’s a huge difference.

So Phuket effectively has two property markets operating side by side: a Thai market focused more on affordable homes and condos, and an international market focused on luxury villas and resort condos.

🌍 Who is buying in Phuket?

Russian and other CIS buyers continue to be an important source of demand.

They are particularly interested in areas such as Thalang, Cherng Talay, Bang Tao, Chalong and Rawai.

And they’re not only looking for holiday homes. Many are looking for longer-term places to live.

Demand from buyers in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan is also recovering.

Their reasons for buying include investment diversification, family relocation, homes for children studying in Phuket, rental investments and second homes.

Western European buyers are another important high-spending group.

Many are looking for retirement homes, holiday properties, second homes and large family villas.

For these buyers, Phuket isn’t simply somewhere to spend two weeks a year. It’s increasingly becoming somewhere to live for months or even years at a time.

🇮🇳🌍 Middle Eastern and Indian buyers are growing too

Indian and Middle Eastern buyers are becoming increasingly important in Phuket’s property market.

At the same time, Phuket is attracting a newer type of buyer: digital nomads, technology entrepreneurs and high-income remote workers.

For them, a Phuket property can be part home, part office and part investment.

📍 Thalang is becoming Phuket’s property powerhouse

If you’re wondering where much of this development is happening, the answer is Thalang.

The district has 411 projects, making it Phuket’s most heavily developed property area.

Some of the biggest hotspots include:

Why Thalang?

It’s close to Phuket International Airport, has larger plots of land available and has plenty of room for villas, resorts and mixed-use developments.

It also has the lifestyle infrastructure wealthy international buyers want, including hotels, restaurants, shopping, golf courses, international schools, healthcare and property-management services.

Bang Tao and Cherng Talay in particular have become major luxury-property hubs.

🏗️ Developers are moving north

Phuket’s famous western beachfront areas are becoming increasingly expensive.

And there’s only so much land left.

So developers are starting to look elsewhere.

New development is spreading towards areas including:

This could be one of the most important trends to watch over the next few years.

💎 Villas are getting seriously expensive

New projects launched during 2025–26 had an average price of around 10 million baht per unit.

But resort villas were far more expensive.

About 60% of newly launched projects were resort-villa developments, with an average price of approximately 32 million baht per villa.

That’s a very different market from the typical Thai buyer looking for a 2–5 million baht home.

Interestingly, when we count the number of individual units, resort condominiums made up around 60% of new supply.

So developers are building both big-ticket villas for wealthy buyers and more affordable resort condos for a wider international market.

💸 And what about rental returns?

In Phuket’s hottest areas — particularly Cherng Talay and Bang Tao — resort condominiums and villas are estimated to generate rental yields of around 6–8% per year.

That’s one reason investors continue to be attracted to the market.

A buyer isn’t necessarily thinking, “I’ll buy this and sell it later.”

They may instead be thinking, “I’ll use it when I’m in Phuket, rent it out when I’m not, and hopefully watch the property appreciate over time.”

That combination of lifestyle, rental income and investment potential is a major part of Phuket’s appeal.

⚠️ But there is a warning sign

The Phuket property story isn’t completely rosy.

The market aimed at Thai buyers is considerably slower.

Residential condos sell at around 8.1% of available units per month, while resort condos and villas are closer to 4.9%.

Other property types — such as houses, townhouses, shophouses and subdivided land — are selling at roughly 3% per month.

So developers need to be careful.

Building another expensive villa project in the right location could work extremely well.

Building the wrong type of property for the wrong buyer could leave developers sitting on inventory for a long time.

🌴 The bigger story: Phuket is changing

Perhaps the most interesting takeaway isn’t the 705 billion baht number.

It’s the fact that Phuket itself is changing.

The island has traditionally been known as a holiday destination.

But the property market suggests something bigger is happening.

Foreign buyers are increasingly treating Phuket as:

That’s changing what developers build, where they build it and who they build it for.

🔑 The Phuket property market in one minute

If you remember only five things, make them these:

🌅 The simple version?

Phuket isn’t just selling holiday homes anymore.

It’s selling a lifestyle — and international buyers are paying a lot of money for it.

Published: 12th September 2026
Thai Calendar: 12th September 2569

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