Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balbriggan and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,676 in Balbriggan, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Balbriggan
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Balbriggan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Balbriggan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,676

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,676 in Balbriggan versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Balbriggan $2,676
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,956 in Balbriggan versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Balbriggan $3,956
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,236 in Balbriggan versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Balbriggan $5,236
Phuket $3,154

Living in Balbriggan is roughly 109% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Balbriggan is 97% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.31

$4.47 ฿151

407.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.7 €88.4

$32.41 ฿1,093

204.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$8.81 ฿297

53.58%

Cappuccino

$5.01 €4.48

$2.83 ฿95.4

77.03%

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

$2.97 €2.66

$0.87 ฿29.41

241.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$0.49 ฿16.65

359.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.80

$2.56 ฿86.3

196.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 €7.12

$3.68 ฿124

116.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.66 ฿55.9

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.46 ฿49.31

56.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.50 ฿50.5

37.33%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.83

$2.09 ฿70.5

51.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 €9.00

$19.07 ฿643

-47.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 €11.55

$3.30 ฿111

290.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 €14.54

$10.91 ฿368

48.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.93 ฿98.9

-5.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.69 ฿57.0

34.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.44

$2.25 ฿75.8

20.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 €4.56

$2.08 ฿70.0

144.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.51 ฿51.0

26.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.38 ฿46.52

11.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.07 ฿35.96

28.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$0.52 ฿17.51

301.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.36 €19.13

$4.20 ฿142

408.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.37 €11.98

$18.79 ฿634

-28.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.82 ฿61.5

53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.84 ฿95.8

-13.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.21

$1.45 ฿48.98

70.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €119

$56.7 ฿1,912

135.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 €4.51

$3.02 ฿102

66.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.02 ฿34.33

50.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.74 €33.80

$3.69 ฿125

922.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.47 ฿49.76

41.50%

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

$39.4K €35.3K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

47.18%

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

$38.1K €34.1K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

42.62%

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

$171 €153

$96.4 ฿3,251

77.23%

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

$16.82 €15.06

$11.26 ฿380

49.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.91 €40.22

$16.85 ฿568

166.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.69

$67.2 ฿2,268

-20.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 €11.88

$7.50 ฿253

76.93%

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

$1,259 €1,128

$476 ฿16.1K

164.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,150 €4,612

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-54.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €98.0

$62.4 ฿2,104

75.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.97 €25.05

$28.41 ฿958

-1.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 €55.0

$94.3 ฿3,181

-34.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$85.8 ฿2,895

53.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 €1,391

$716 ฿24.2K

116.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 €1,208

$491 ฿16.6K

174.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 €2,268

$1,927 ฿65.0K

31.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 €1,934

$1,431 ฿48.3K

50.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,612 €3,235

$3,045 ฿102.7K

18.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,292 €2,052

$502 ฿16.9K

356.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

5.57

-31.60%

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

Last update for Balbriggan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Balbriggan

$1.3K 50.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 63.6% $858

Eating Out

Balbriggan

$357 13.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 65.9% $235

Groceries & Markets

Balbriggan

$353 13.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 24.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balbriggan

$232 8.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 46.5% $108

Getting Around

Balbriggan

$156 5.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 54.7% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Balbriggan

$149 5.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 18.1% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Balbriggan

$80 3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 3.1% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,553 in Balbriggan and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balbriggan pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Balbriggan vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Balbriggan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

06:09 6:09 AM

7 h ahead of Balbriggan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,322

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Balbriggan Phuket 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Balbriggan
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

Balbriggan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,676 in Balbriggan and $1,278 in Phuket, so Phuket is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Balbriggan is about 4.6 times higher, 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: $1,553 in Balbriggan versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Balbriggan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $99 in Balbriggan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,676 in Balbriggan, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Balbriggan. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Balbriggan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.