Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budva and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,611 in Budva, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Budva
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Budva Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Budva

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,611

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,611 per month in Budva vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Budva $1,611
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,529 per month in Budva vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Budva $2,529
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $3,447 per month in Budva vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Budva $3,447
Phuket $2,867

Budva costs about 33% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budva sits 19% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.76 €13.13

$4.58 ฿153

222.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.1

$32.48 ฿1,086

104.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.27 €11.80

$8.55 ฿286

55.20%

Cappuccino

$3.39 €3.02

$2.72 ฿91.0

24.63%

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

$2.21 €1.96

$0.94 ฿31.25

135.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.49 ฿16.39

210.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 €4.17

$2.59 ฿86.6

81.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$3.83 ฿128

11.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.74 ฿58.1

-28.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.43 ฿47.82

-25.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.53 ฿51.0

44.44%

Eggs

$3.07 €2.73

$2.17 ฿72.7

41.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 €7.56

$19.15 ฿640

-55.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 €8.08

$3.30 ฿110

175.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.17 €10.83

$11.14 ฿372

9.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.95 ฿98.5

-56.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.68 ฿56.1

4.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$2.30 ฿76.8

-33.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.78 €2.47

$2.13 ฿71.3

30.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.53 ฿51.1

-44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 €0.95

$1.36 ฿45.55

-21.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.12 ฿37.44

49.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.55 ฿18.24

70.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 €3.93

$4.26 ฿142

3.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 €6.82

$18.19 ฿608

-57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.74 ฿58.2

-39.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.79 ฿93.3

-37.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.22 ฿74.1

27.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.74 €35.34

$22.06 ฿737

80.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 €0.98

$2.91 ฿97.3

-61.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.01 ฿33.79

7.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.85 €14.99

$3.83 ฿128

339.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.49 ฿49.85

14.09%

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

$28.5K €25.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

6.89%

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

$25.8K €22.9K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-3.48%

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

$158 €140

$99.4 ฿3,321

58.73%

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

$14.92 €13.27

$11.28 ฿377

32.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.61 €29.90

$17.36 ฿580

93.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 €50.8

$52.3 ฿1,747

9.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.24 €18.89

$10.85 ฿362

95.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 €5.50

$7.57 ฿253

-18.23%

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

$407 €362

$558 ฿18.7K

-27.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,855 €8,766

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-14.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.3

$62.9 ฿2,102

66.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.04 €39.17

$28.58 ฿955

54.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 €86.1

$96.1 ฿3,213

0.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$178 €159

$88.1 ฿2,943

102.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 €752

$729 ฿24.4K

15.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 €539

$460 ฿15.4K

31.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 €1,333

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-28.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €1,022

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-5.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,046 €3,599

$3,459 ฿115.6K

16.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,920 €2,597

$2,489 ฿83.2K

17.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,028 €915

$493 ฿16.5K

108.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Budva: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budva

$606 37.6%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 24.1% $146

Eating Out

Budva

$246 15.2%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 50.6% $124

Groceries & Markets

Budva

$235 14.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 13.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budva

$206 12.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 37.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Budva

$191 11.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 35% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Budva

$69 4.3%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 2.9% $2

Getting Around

Budva

$58 3.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 32.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $846 in Budva 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 109% higher in Budva, 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 $66.0 in Budva versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Budva vs $268 in Phuket – so Budva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Budva

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

02:59 2:59 AM

5 h ahead of Budva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,338

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

Highest

Between locations

Budva Phuket 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Budva
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

Budva vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,611 in Budva, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,417 per month in Budva 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,611 in Budva and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 33%.

Public transport costs about 80% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Budva at $1,611. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budva it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $1,611 in Budva. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Budva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.