Methodology
How the Phuket Travel Price Index is measured, and what it refuses to guess.
First observation of the index: September 2026.Key facts
as of October 2026 · All sources- 1st and 15th of each month, travel date 30 days ahead
- Observation cadence · Source: Phuket Travels methodology
- n ≥ 5
- Minimum sample · Source: Phuket Travels methodology
- high November–April, low May–October
- Seasons · Source: Phuket Travels methodology
- USD
- Currency · Source: Phuket Travels methodology
- monthly points, append-only
- History · Source: Phuket Travels methodology
- September 2026
- First observation · Source: Phuket Travel Price Index
- October 2026
- Data revision
What is measured
Five series: hotel nights by area and class, villa nights and months by area and bedrooms, day-tour prices per person, airport transfers by area and vehicle, and a daily living budget by area at three levels. Each series is a set of observations, not a single 'price'.
Fixed observation dates
Observations are taken on the 1st and 15th of each month for a fixed travel date 30 days ahead, so points are comparable across months. Season is recorded with every point (high: November–April; low: May–October).
Medians and sample sizes
We publish the median, the low and the high of the sample, and the sample size n. A segment with fewer than 5 observations is published as no data — null is better than a guess.
Sources
Public listing prices, partner price feeds and on-island checks. Source names and URLs are stored with every observation for our own verification but are not published; the index never republishes a third-party catalogue.
Currency
All figures are in US dollars. Local-currency budgets on country pages are converted with the exchange rate in fx.json, dated on the page.
History
Monthly points are appended to price-history.json and never rewritten. Sparklines appear once a series has two or more points.
What is never estimated
Prices are not modelled, extrapolated or filled from other areas. A missing number stays missing until it is observed.
Frequently asked questions
How is each price observed?
On the 1st and 15th of every month, for a fixed travel date 30 days ahead, in each area and segment. The median, the low and the high of the sample are published with the sample size n and the season of the travel date.
Why is a segment shown as "no data"?
Because fewer than 5 observations were available. A small sample is published as no data rather than as a shaky median — null is better than a guess.
What counts as high and low season?
High season is November to April; low season is May to October. The season is recorded from the travel date of the observation, not the date it was taken.
Are missing prices estimated?
No. Prices are never modelled, extrapolated from earlier months or filled from neighbouring areas. A missing number stays missing until it is observed.
How is the price history kept?
Monthly points are appended to the history file and never rewritten; a month is never duplicated for the same series. Sparklines appear once a series has two or more points.
Which currency is used, and how are conversions made?
All figures are in US dollars. Local-currency budgets on the country pages use the exchange rate on file, and the rate date is printed next to every converted figure.
How do I cite or correct a figure?
Every number may be quoted with a link to the page it comes from; the dataset is CC BY 4.0. To correct a figure, send the area, series, what you observed and the date through the contact page — it is re-checked on the next observation run. The first observation of the index is September 2026.