Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birgu and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,731 in Birgu, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,731 in Birgu versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Birgu $1,731
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,812 in Birgu versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Birgu $2,812
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,894 in Birgu versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Birgu $3,894
Phuket $3,154

Living in Birgu is roughly 35% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Birgu is 27% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.30 €17.28

$4.47 ฿151

331.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.5 €78.4

$32.41 ฿1,093

170.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 €10.55

$8.81 ฿297

33.71%

Cappuccino

$2.72 €2.44

$2.83 ฿95.4

-3.89%

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

$2.18 €1.95

$0.87 ฿29.41

150.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.49 ฿16.65

246.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.65 €4.16

$2.56 ฿86.3

81.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.04 €4.51

$3.68 ฿124

36.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.66 ฿55.9

-18.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.46 ฿49.31

-11.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.80

$1.50 ฿50.5

182.67%

Eggs

$4.08 €3.65

$2.09 ฿70.5

95.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.38 €7.50

$19.07 ฿643

-56.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 €7.38

$3.30 ฿111

149.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 €13.80

$10.91 ฿368

41.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.56

$2.93 ฿98.9

-2.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.69 ฿57.0

-26.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.25 ฿75.8

22.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.51

$2.08 ฿70.0

35.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.51 ฿51.0

47.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.38 ฿46.52

20.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.07 ฿35.96

113.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.52 ฿17.51

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.72 €6.02

$4.20 ฿142

60.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.10 €7.25

$18.79 ฿634

-56.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.82 ฿61.5

-17.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.84 ฿95.8

-15.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.45 ฿48.98

57.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.94 €12.48

$56.7 ฿1,912

-75.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 €5.14

$3.02 ฿102

90.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.02 ฿34.33

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.73 €23.94

$3.69 ฿125

624.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.33

$1.47 ฿49.76

0.68%

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

$26.3K €23.6K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-1.70%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

24.83%

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

$101 €90.5

$96.4 ฿3,251

4.85%

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

$25.15 €22.52

$11.26 ฿380

123.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.31 €29.83

$16.85 ฿568

97.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.02 €39.43

$67.2 ฿2,268

-34.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.8 €59.8

$10.73 ฿362

522.65%

Cinema Ticket

$9.88 €8.84

$7.50 ฿253

31.73%

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

$372 €333

$476 ฿16.1K

-21.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,987 €1,780

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-82.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.02 €22.41

$62.4 ฿2,104

-59.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.21 €29.74

$28.41 ฿958

16.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.6 €89.2

$94.3 ฿3,181

5.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €98.6

$85.8 ฿2,895

28.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 €897

$716 ฿24.2K

39.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 €720

$491 ฿16.6K

63.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,637 €3,257

$1,927 ฿65.0K

88.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 €1,377

$1,431 ฿48.3K

7.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,956 €3,543

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-5.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,883 €2,582

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-5.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,887 €1,690

$502 ฿16.9K

275.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

5.57

-47.94%

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

Last update for Birgu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birgu

$803 46.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 38.9% $312

Groceries & Markets

Birgu

$278 16%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 4.1% $11

Eating Out

Birgu

$271 15.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 55.1% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birgu

$159 9.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 22% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Birgu

$121 7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Birgu

$64 3.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 28.9% $18

Getting Around

Birgu

$34 2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 105% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,001 in Birgu and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birgu pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $88 in Birgu vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Birgu

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

12:25 12:25 PM

6 h ahead of Birgu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Birgu Phuket 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Birgu
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

Birgu vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Birgu. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Birgu is about 3.8 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: $1,001 in Birgu versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Birgu runs roughly 75% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $372 in Birgu versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,731 in Birgu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Birgu. 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 at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Birgu and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Birgu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.