Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,542 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,542

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athlone 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 Athlone and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,542 in Athlone versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Athlone $2,542
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,749 in Athlone versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Athlone $3,749
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,956 in Athlone versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Athlone $4,956
Phuket $2,867

Living in Athlone is roughly 111% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athlone is 88% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.90

$4.58 ฿153

388.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €80.9

$32.48 ฿1,086

180.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 €11.23

$8.55 ฿286

47.72%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.84

$2.72 ฿91.0

58.82%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$0.94 ฿31.25

210.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.49 ฿16.39

275.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.59

$2.59 ฿86.6

186.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 €5.82

$3.83 ฿128

71.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.74 ฿58.1

-16.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.43 ฿47.82

-11.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.53 ฿51.0

8.50%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$2.17 ฿72.7

80.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 €9.55

$19.15 ฿640

-43.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 €10.02

$3.30 ฿110

241.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.85 €10.53

$11.14 ฿372

6.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.95 ฿98.5

-13.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.68 ฿56.1

-7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$2.30 ฿76.8

4.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$2.13 ฿71.3

33.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$1.53 ฿51.1

49.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.36 ฿45.55

33.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.12 ฿37.44

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.55 ฿18.24

245.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.88 €15.90

$4.26 ฿142

319.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.10 €9.87

$18.19 ฿608

-38.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.74 ฿58.2

97.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.18

$2.79 ฿93.3

28.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.22 ฿74.1

-7.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 €4.52

$2.91 ฿97.3

74.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.01 ฿33.79

47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.77 €24.70

$3.83 ฿128

625.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.49 ฿49.85

36.24%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

48.39%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

37.79%

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

$241 €214

$99.4 ฿3,321

142.37%

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

$21.86 €19.45

$11.28 ฿377

93.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.22 €43.78

$17.36 ฿580

183.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.5 €52.1

$52.3 ฿1,747

11.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.69 €30.85

$10.85 ฿362

219.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 €9.74

$7.57 ฿253

44.65%

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

$1,001 €891

$558 ฿18.7K

79.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,365 €4,772

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-53.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €82.6

$62.9 ฿2,102

47.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 €36.36

$28.58 ฿955

43.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 €74.4

$96.1 ฿3,213

-13.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 €69.1

$88.1 ฿2,943

-11.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,306

$729 ฿24.4K

101.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 €1,203

$460 ฿15.4K

194.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 €2,249

$2,096 ฿70.0K

20.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 €2,005

$1,222 ฿40.8K

84.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,294 €2,930

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-4.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,340 €2,971

$2,489 ฿83.2K

34.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,153 €2,804

$493 ฿16.5K

539.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

5.57

-33.03%

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

Last update for Athlone: 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

Athlone

$1.4K 53.2%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 66% $893

Eating Out

Athlone

$338 13.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 64.1% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athlone

$312 12.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 59% $184

Groceries & Markets

Athlone

$305 12%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 12.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Athlone

$133 5.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6.6% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Athlone

$80 3.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 16.2% $13

Getting Around

Athlone

$21 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 87.4% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,468 in Athlone and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 539% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Athlone vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Athlone

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

17:32 5:32 PM

6 h ahead of Athlone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,000

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

Athlone Phuket 10,360 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Athlone
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

Athlone vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 111% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 539% higher in Athlone, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,468 in Athlone versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Athlone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,542 per month in Athlone versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 111% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,542 in Athlone, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Athlone. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athlone and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 111% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.