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: $3,109 in Athlone versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,096 in Athlone versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,083 in Athlone versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Athlone is roughly 149% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athlone is 133% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 €17.89

$4.55 ฿153

349.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.8 €82.8

$46.18 ฿1,550

105.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.33 €9.02

$8.84 ฿297

16.86%

Cappuccino

$4.76 €4.16

$3.06 ฿103

55.56%

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

$2.51 €2.19

$0.73 ฿24.36

243.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.91

$0.40 ฿13.37

447.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 €6.11

$2.43 ฿81.6

187.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 €5.80

$3.78 ฿127

75.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.15

$2.26 ฿75.8

-41.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.20

$1.81 ฿60.8

-24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 €1.59

$2.25 ฿75.7

-19.11%

Eggs

$3.92 €3.42

$2.25 ฿75.4

74.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 €10.00

$19.51 ฿655

-41.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 €10.14

$3.65 ฿122

218.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.41 €10.84

$13.05 ฿438

-4.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.40

$3.23 ฿109

-14.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 €1.33

$1.62 ฿54.3

-6.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 €2.17

$2.38 ฿80.0

4.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.35

$2.03 ฿68.0

32.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.70 €2.36

$1.53 ฿51.5

76.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.79

$1.50 ฿50.4

36.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 €1.48

$0.98 ฿32.85

72.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.72

$0.52 ฿17.36

278.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.00 €17.48

$4.44 ฿149

350.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.42 €9.98

$18.32 ฿615

-37.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.04

$1.86 ฿62.6

87.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.34

$2.68 ฿90.0

42.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.89 €1.65

$1.41 ฿47.37

34.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.3 €85.0

$11.70 ฿393

731.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 €4.68

$3.11 ฿104

72.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 €2.43

$1.04 ฿35.00

168.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.41 €25.69

$14.11 ฿474

108.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.81

$1.31 ฿44.02

58.02%

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

$43.3K €37.8K

$27.8K ฿933.8K

55.64%

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

$39.3K €34.3K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

18.34%

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

$245 €214

$122 ฿4,110

100.24%

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

$21.81 €19.05

$13.59 ฿456

60.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.33 €41.36

$18.70 ฿628

153.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 €52.8

$60.5 ฿2,031

-0.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.51 €15.30

$16.98 ฿570

3.12%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 €12.20

$9.07 ฿305

53.91%

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

$1,345 €1,175

$706 ฿23.7K

90.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,253 €6,337

$15.8K ฿530.5K

-54.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €90.6

$58.6 ฿1,965

77.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.85 €37.44

$35.36 ฿1,187

21.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 €78.5

$115 ฿3,876

-22.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.7 €68.8

$83.7 ฿2,811

-5.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 €1,290

$626 ฿21.0K

136.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,783 €1,558

$445 ฿14.9K

300.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 €2,165

$2,040 ฿68.5K

21.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,189 €1,913

$1,492 ฿50.1K

46.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,460 €3,023

$3,483 ฿116.9K

-0.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,418 €2,986

$2,577 ฿86.5K

32.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,974 €2,598

$500 ฿16.8K

494.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

5.33

-13.70%

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

Last update for Athlone: July 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,477 in Athlone and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 495% 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: $95.0 in Athlone vs $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $289 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 149% 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 495% 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: $1,477 in Athlone versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,345 in Athlone versus $706 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Athlone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $3,109 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 $1,250 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 149% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.