Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bologna and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,168 in Bologna, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Bologna
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Bologna Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bologna

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,168

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,168 per month in Bologna vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Bologna $2,168
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $3,357 per month in Bologna vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Bologna $3,357
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $4,546 per month in Bologna vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Bologna $4,546
Phuket $2,867

Bologna costs about 80% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bologna sits 61% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.66 €20.16

$4.58 ฿153

394.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.8 €78.1

$32.48 ฿1,086

170.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.46 €11.98

$8.55 ฿286

57.43%

Cappuccino

$2.24 €1.99

$2.72 ฿91.0

-17.65%

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

$3.52 €3.13

$0.94 ฿31.25

274.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.49 ฿16.39

269.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.68 €5.94

$2.59 ฿86.6

157.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 €5.01

$3.83 ฿128

47.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.74 ฿58.1

-19.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.43 ฿47.82

109.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$1.53 ฿51.0

88.89%

Eggs

$4.01 €3.57

$2.17 ฿72.7

84.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.41 €18.15

$19.15 ฿640

6.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.24 €10.88

$3.30 ฿110

270.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.03 €18.70

$11.14 ฿372

88.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.95 ฿98.5

-15.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.68 ฿56.1

42.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.30 ฿76.8

10.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.13 ฿71.3

55.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.53 ฿51.1

22.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.36 ฿45.55

25.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.12 ฿37.44

20.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$0.55 ฿18.24

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 €6.12

$4.26 ฿142

61.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 €7.08

$18.19 ฿608

-56.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.74 ฿58.2

9.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.79 ฿93.3

1.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.22 ฿74.1

18.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.76 €38.03

$22.06 ฿737

93.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.64 €4.13

$2.91 ฿97.3

59.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.01 ฿33.79

63.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.98 €28.45

$3.83 ฿128

734.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.49 ฿49.85

43.62%

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

$36.8K €32.8K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

38.09%

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

$36.4K €32.4K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

36.34%

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

$249 €221

$99.4 ฿3,321

150.08%

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

$11.10 €9.88

$11.28 ฿377

-1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.22 €27.77

$17.36 ฿580

79.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.1 €56.1

$52.3 ฿1,747

20.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.63 €23.69

$10.85 ฿362

145.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.87 €8.78

$7.57 ฿253

30.38%

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

$768 €683

$558 ฿18.7K

37.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

43.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.5 €83.1

$62.9 ฿2,102

48.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.18 €41.08

$28.58 ฿955

61.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 €109

$96.1 ฿3,213

27.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €129

$88.1 ฿2,943

65.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 €1,015

$729 ฿24.4K

56.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$867 €771

$460 ฿15.4K

88.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,081 €1,851

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-0.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,574 €1,400

$1,222 ฿40.8K

28.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,130 €4,563

$3,459 ฿115.6K

48.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,737 €3,324

$2,489 ฿83.2K

50.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,103 €1,870

$493 ฿16.5K

326.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.19

5.57

-42.73%

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

Last update for Bologna: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bologna

$867 40%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 46.9% $407

Groceries & Markets

Bologna

$363 16.7%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 26.3% $95

Eating Out

Bologna

$314 14.5%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 61.4% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bologna

$291 13.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 56% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Bologna

$183 8.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 32.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Bologna

$83 3.8%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 18.6% $15

Getting Around

Bologna

$66 3.1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 41.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,141 in Bologna versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 326% higher in Bologna, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Bologna versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Bologna

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

21:04 9:04 PM

5 h ahead of Bologna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

386,663

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

Lowest

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Between locations

Bologna Phuket 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bologna
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

Bologna vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bologna costs about 80% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,251 per month in Bologna and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 94% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $768 per month in Bologna and $558 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Bologna at $2,168. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bologna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $2,168 in Bologna. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bologna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.