Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arklow and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arklow and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arklow and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Arklow vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Arklow $2,624
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $3,680 per month in Arklow vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Arklow $3,680
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Arklow vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Arklow $4,737
Phuket $2,867

Arklow costs about 117% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arklow sits 94% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.87

$4.58 ฿153

387.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$32.48 ฿1,086

175.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$8.55 ฿286

31.58%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.67

$2.72 ฿91.0

51.47%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.60

$0.94 ฿31.25

211.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.49 ฿16.39

359.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.86

$2.59 ฿86.6

111.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.58

$3.83 ฿128

34.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.74 ฿58.1

-2.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.43 ฿47.82

55.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.53 ฿51.0

24.18%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.12

$2.17 ฿72.7

113.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$19.15 ฿640

-25.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.71

$3.30 ฿110

299.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$11.14 ฿372

49.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.95 ฿98.5

10.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.68 ฿56.1

72.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.30 ฿76.8

48.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$2.13 ฿71.3

120.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.53 ฿51.1

54.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.36 ฿45.55

34.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.12 ฿37.44

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.55 ฿18.24

290.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.07

$4.26 ฿142

376.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$18.19 ฿608

-25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$1.74 ฿58.2

134.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$2.79 ฿93.3

29.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.22 ฿74.1

8.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.61

$2.91 ฿97.3

78.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.01 ฿33.79

52.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$3.83 ฿128

769.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.49 ฿49.85

42.28%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$38.8K €34.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

45.38%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.3K €33.2K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

39.66%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$240 €213

$99.4 ฿3,321

141.42%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.10 €19.65

$11.28 ฿377

95.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.08

$17.36 ฿580

217.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €51.2

$52.3 ฿1,747

9.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.08

$7.57 ฿253

79.39%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,066 €948

$558 ฿18.7K

90.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 €4,807

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-52.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$62.9 ฿2,102

49.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 €38.53

$28.58 ฿955

51.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$96.1 ฿3,213

10.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$88.1 ฿2,943

33.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$729 ฿24.4K

114.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,178

$460 ฿15.4K

188.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,541

$2,096 ฿70.0K

36.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$1,222 ฿40.8K

48.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,863 €4,325

$493 ฿16.5K

886.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

5.57

-25.67%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arklow: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 65.3% $865

Groceries & Markets

Arklow

$392 14.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 31.7% $124

Eating Out

Arklow

$320 12.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 62.1% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arklow

$317 12.1%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 59.6% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Arklow

$163 6.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 23.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Arklow

$85 3.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 20.4% $17

Getting Around

Arklow

$23 * 0.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 72.7% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Arklow versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 886% higher in Arklow, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Arklow

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

18:33 6:33 PM

6 h ahead of Arklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,399

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Arklow Phuket 10,270 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Arklow
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arklow vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,624 in Arklow, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 117% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Arklow and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Arklow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Arklow at $2,624. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $2,624 in Arklow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.