Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,622 in Athlone versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,839 in Athlone versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,056 in Athlone versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Athlone is roughly 109% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athlone is 91% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.35 €19.28

$4.56 ฿152

390.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.6 €79.9

$32.62 ฿1,086

184.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.41 €11.57

$8.90 ฿296

50.67%

Cappuccino

$4.52 €3.90

$2.80 ฿93.4

61.43%

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

$2.93 €2.53

$0.88 ฿29.31

232.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.64

$0.49 ฿16.29

287.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.38 €6.36

$2.39 ฿79.5

208.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 €6.18

$3.71 ฿124

92.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.30

$1.79 ฿59.5

-15.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 €1.13

$1.44 ฿48.00

-9.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.49

$1.58 ฿52.8

8.86%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.50

$2.13 ฿70.8

90.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 €9.64

$19.92 ฿663

-43.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.03 €10.38

$3.43 ฿114

250.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 €10.49

$11.33 ฿377

7.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.27

$2.95 ฿98.2

-10.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 €1.46

$1.72 ฿57.3

-1.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.15

$2.32 ฿77.4

7.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.48

$2.08 ฿69.3

37.98%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.11

$1.47 ฿48.96

65.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.63

$1.36 ฿45.22

38.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.30

$1.10 ฿36.59

37.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.76

$0.57 ฿19.13

259.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.64 €16.08

$4.27 ฿142

336.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.69 €10.08

$18.42 ฿613

-36.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.05

$1.87 ฿62.3

89.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 €3.28

$2.92 ฿97.3

30.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 €1.82

$2.22 ฿73.9

-4.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.90 ฿762

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 €4.73

$3.03 ฿101

80.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.34

$1.07 ฿35.77

44.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.41 €25.37

$3.93 ฿131

648.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.83

$1.49 ฿49.68

42.28%

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

$40.1K €34.6K

$27.1K ฿903.4K

47.68%

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

$38.4K €33.1K

$27.5K ฿914.1K

39.80%

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

$253 €218

$103 ฿3,423

146.13%

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

$22.53 €19.43

$10.99 ฿366

105.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 €43.98

$17.51 ฿583

191.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 €52.5

$53.5 ฿1,783

13.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.31 €32.18

$11.20 ฿373

233.13%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 €10.22

$7.48 ฿249

58.42%

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

$1,051 €907

$557 ฿18.5K

88.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,669 €4,889

$11.9K ฿394.7K

-52.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.4 €84.8

$64.1 ฿2,134

53.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.56 €36.71

$29.07 ฿968

46.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.3 €75.3

$96.0 ฿3,195

-9.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.1 €68.2

$90.3 ฿3,008

-12.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 €1,320

$730 ฿24.3K

109.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 €1,219

$500 ฿16.6K

182.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,630 €2,268

$2,090 ฿69.6K

25.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,305 €1,988

$1,209 ฿40.3K

90.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,526 €3,041

$3,596 ฿119.7K

-1.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,454 €2,979

$2,512 ฿83.7K

37.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,235 €2,790

$503 ฿16.8K

542.66%

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: August 29, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,530 in Athlone and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 543% 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: $93.0 in Athlone vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $319 vs $273 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 109% 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 543% 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: $1,530 in Athlone versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Athlone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,622 per month in Athlone versus $1,253 in Phuket – a 109% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $2,622 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 $1,253 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 109% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.