Living in Kathu, Phuket: Who It Suits, School, Transport
Kathu is an inland base 9 km west of Phuket town, set on a lowland plain surrounded by mountains. Choose it for daily life next to QSI International School of Phuket and Patong Hospital. For the sea at your door, look instead to Patong and Kamala, its western neighbours.
On this page
Think of Kathu as a quiet inland base for school and hospital life, rather than a beach holiday. The district lies between Patong and Phuket town, 9 km west of town, on a lowland plain with mountains on almost all four sides. If your evenings revolve around a beach walk, look west instead, since Patong and Kamala, its western neighbours, are where the sea is.
Who Kathu suits
Kathu makes the most sense when your week runs on a school run and a hospital close to home. QSI International School of Phuket, an American-curriculum school, is in the district, and Patong Hospital stands on Sainamyen Road in Kathu too.
Living 9 km from Phuket town keeps you off the beach strip, while Patong’s services stay close. The district includes Patong, yet Kamala Beach to the north is much less developed, so quieter sand is still within reach.
Who should skip it
For sand right outside your door, look at Patong or Kamala instead. Car-free living takes some planning here, because the Smart Bus timetable lists no Kathu stop. The getting-around section below sets out the workarounds.
Location and boundaries
The boundaries show you how Kathu fits between Patong and Phuket town. The municipality covers 34.81 sq km and fills the whole of Kathu subdistrict.
To the north lies Si Sunthon, and Chalong borders it to the south. Head east and you reach Wichit and Ko Kaeo, towards town, while Patong and Kamala sit to the west.
Save the details for the municipality office at 12 Moo 2, Wichitsongkhram Road, Kathu, Kathu District, Phuket 83120; the phone number is 076 321 500.
School: QSI International School of Phuket
Families looking at Kathu mostly end up here for QSI, a not-for-profit American school. It was founded in 2000 and has been fully accredited since 2005.
You pay nothing extra for AP courses or Intensive English instruction. Classes are small, with fewer than 15 students per classroom, and the student body spans nearly 20 nationalities. Thai and Chinese are on offer as additional languages.
Both ends of the age range are covered. The two-year-old programme takes children who are 2 on or before 1 November of the school year. Older children without English are welcome as well, from preschool through the 13-year-old class (US Grade 8), even with no previous English.
To apply, gather an application form, a passport or birth certificate copy, previous school records if any and health information, plus a one-time US$600 registration fee. Every student sits a placement exam, though it is not used to accept or reject anyone. QSI can still deny admission to a student with challenges it is unable to address.
You will find the campus at 81/4 Moo1, Chalermprakiat r.9 Road, T. Kathu, A. Kathu, Phuket 83120.
Other schools are within reach as well. HeadStart International School’s Chaofah City campus is in Wichit, which borders Kathu to the east. Before you commit to a commute, compare them all in International schools in Phuket.
Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
81/4 Moo 1, Tambon Kathu, Kathu District, Phuket 83120, Thailand · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Health
The nearest hospital this guide places near Kathu is Patong Hospital, in the same district at 57 Sainamyen Road, Patong, Kathu, Phuket 83150. Keep its number, 076-342 633, close to hand.
Store 1669 in your phone now, since it is the number for a medical emergency. The full list is in English-speaking hospitals in Phuket.
Getting around, rent and nearby areas
Getting around
Smart Bus has no stop in Kathu itself. Its airport route runs Airport, Patong Beach, Karon, Kata, Rawai. Route 2, on the other hand, links Phuket Bus Terminal 2 with Patong Beach via the city centre at a 50 baht flat fare.
The Airport Bus Express does pass Kathu Intersection on its way to Patong Beach. Even so, expect to board in Patong or the city centre rather than at your door. Agree any songthaew fare before you ride.
Check live traffic on the day, as no operator publishes a drive time from the airport to Kathu. For a price guide, Kamala, the nearest priced neighbour on the west, costs 750 baht in a Taxi car at the limousine counter. Ask there for a Kathu quote before you book. Compare every option in Getting around Phuket.
Immigration visits go to the Phuket Immigration Patong Office at Patong Beach, Kathu, Phuket 83150, which you can reach on 0 7634 0477. It works two weekday sessions: Mon-Fri 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m., then 1.00 p.m. to 3.00 p.m..
Arrive within one of those windows, because nothing is listed between 12.00 and 1.00. The office is closed Saturday - Sunday and national public holidays.
Beach, season and coworking
Head to Kamala Beach when you want the sea: it stretches 2 km with a relaxed atmosphere. A Taxi car from the airport limousine counter to Kamala costs 750 baht.
Watch the season before you swim. In the southwest monsoon, large waves and rip currents can make swimming very dangerous in places like Phuket. Our monsoon notes are in Phuket rainy season.
Remote workers have a desk at Denz CoWorking Cafe, 2/124 Soi Khuanyang, Patong, with a day rate from THB 200. For more desks, browse Coworking in Phuket.
Denz, 2/124 Soi Khuanyang, Pa Tong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150 · Open in Google Maps (opens in a new tab)
Rent and costs
Treat these Phuket-wide numbers as a sanity check rather than a Kathu quote. They are contributor-reported averages for October 2026, built on 479 entries from 41 contributors.
| Home (Phuket-wide, October 2026) | Monthly average |
|---|---|
| One-bedroom apartment, city centre | THB 24,466.67 |
| One-bedroom apartment, outside the centre | THB 15,600.00 |
| Three-bedroom, outside the centre | THB 40,525.00 |
The first two rows set a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre against one outside it. None of them is a Kathu listing, so ask each landlord for the monthly rate and the deposit before you view.
The contract comes next: read Rental contract in Phuket before you sign.
Next in this journey
Work through Where to live in Phuket, then Phuket areas compared, then Rent an apartment in Phuket. Patong is next door, and it has its own guide: Living in Patong.
Photo credits
- The waterfall in the hills of Kathu: Wikimedia Commons, Kathu Waterfall (Nicolas Voitot, CC BY 3.0) (opens in a new tab) (CC BY 3.0 (Nicolas Voitot))
- A blue songthaew on a Phuket street: Wikimedia Commons, Phuket, Thailand 2022 blue bus (Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0) (opens in a new tab) (CC BY 2.0 (Sharon Hahn Darlin))
- A quiet stretch of Kamala Beach at low tide: Wikimedia Commons, Kamala beach (govertvissers, CC BY-SA 3.0) (opens in a new tab) (CC BY-SA 3.0 (govertvissers))
- Photos and clips uploaded to Google Maps (QSI International School of Phuket on Google Maps (opens in a new tab), Patong Hospital on Google Maps (opens in a new tab)) by QSI International School of Phuket, Tanja Nest.
Not confirmed: Rents are Phuket-wide averages from contributor-reported prices, not Kathu listings: ask the landlord for the monthly rate and the deposit before you view. Bus and songthaew fares from Kathu are not posted: agree the price before you ride.
Common questions
Where is Kathu?
It lies 9 km west of Phuket town, and the municipality covers 34.81 sq km.
What does Kathu border?
Si Sunthon borders it to the north and Chalong to the south; Wichit and Ko Kaeo lie to the east, with Patong and Kamala to the west.
Is there an international school in Kathu?
That is QSI International School of Phuket, a not-for-profit American school, found at 81/4 Moo1, Chalermprakiat r.9 Road, T. Kathu.
Where is the nearest hospital?
Head to Patong Hospital, at 57 Sainamyen Road, Patong, Kathu.
Is there a bus from the airport to Kathu?
Not directly: neither Smart Bus route lists a Kathu stop. The airport route runs Airport, Patong, Karon, Kata, Rawai, and Route 2 runs Bus Terminal 2, Phuket Town, Patong Beach at a 50 baht flat fare. The Airport Bus Express route does pass Kathu Intersection, running via Thalang to Patong Beach.
Is Kathu close to Patong and Phuket town?
Phuket town is 9 km away, and Patong and Kamala sit on its western border.
What are rents in Kathu?
Only Phuket-wide figures exist: on contributor-reported prices, a one-bedroom flat outside the centre averages THB 15,600.00 a month.
Read next
Places in this guide
General information checked against the sources listed above, not legal advice for your situation. Rules and office practice change; confirm with the immigration office or a licensed adviser before you act. See how guides are checked.
Spotted an error? Report it.
Comments (0)
Be the first to ask about this topic.