Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlow and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,548 in Carlow, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Carlow
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Carlow Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Carlow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,548

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,548 per month in Carlow vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Carlow $2,548
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $3,814 per month in Carlow vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Carlow $3,814
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $5,081 per month in Carlow vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Carlow $5,081
Phuket $2,845

Carlow costs about 111% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Carlow sits 88% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.01 €18.69

$4.40 ฿147

377.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.7

$32.26 ฿1,078

181.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.10 €11.65

$8.76 ฿293

49.54%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.78

$2.83 ฿94.5

50.18%

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

$2.67 €2.37

$0.90 ฿30.14

196.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.97

$0.47 ฿15.56

372.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.59

$2.55 ฿85.2

190.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 €5.82

$3.83 ฿128

70.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.73 ฿57.7

-5.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.47 ฿49.11

35.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 €1.69

$1.51 ฿50.6

26.49%

Eggs

$4.35 €3.87

$2.17 ฿72.7

100.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 €11.98

$19.70 ฿658

-31.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.81 €11.39

$3.34 ฿112

283.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 €12.84

$11.16 ฿373

29.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$2.85 ฿95.1

11.93%

Banana (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.70 ฿56.9

76.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$2.19 ฿73.3

52.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.29 €2.92

$2.05 ฿68.4

60.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.45 ฿48.57

63.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.38 ฿46.16

27.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.07 ฿35.69

34.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.51 ฿16.91

160.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.84 €16.76

$4.26 ฿142

342.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.53 €12.04

$18.58 ฿621

-27.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.80

$1.78 ฿59.7

139.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.85 ฿95.2

20.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.26 ฿75.6

-44.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 €4.55

$3.01 ฿101

69.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.06 ฿35.34

45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.43 €28.85

$3.86 ฿129

740.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.45 ฿48.45

44.14%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

46.74%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

41.47%

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

$243 €216

$96.4 ฿3,221

152.05%

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

$22.26 €19.80

$11.04 ฿369

101.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.4 €50.2

$17.14 ฿573

229.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.8 €70.1

$52.2 ฿1,744

51.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.1 €49.93

$11.16 ฿373

402.96%

Cinema Ticket

$13.59 €12.09

$7.81 ฿261

74.01%

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

$1,052 €936

$556 ฿18.6K

89.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,449 €4,847

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-52.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 €84.8

$64.2 ฿2,146

48.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.63 €37.92

$28.69 ฿959

48.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$95.4 ฿3,187

5.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.3

$88.0 ฿2,940

15.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 €1,282

$737 ฿24.6K

95.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,121

$462 ฿15.5K

172.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,596 €2,310

$2,095 ฿70.0K

23.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,152 €1,914

$1,201 ฿40.1K

79.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,664 €5,038

$3,488 ฿116.6K

62.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,675 €5,937

$2,523 ฿84.3K

164.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,351 €2,091

$501 ฿16.7K

369.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Carlow: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Carlow

$1.3K 49.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 63.3% $798

Groceries & Markets

Carlow

$361 14.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 25.5% $92

Eating Out

Carlow

$328 12.9%

Phuket

$121 10% 63% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlow

$322 12.6%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 61.3% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Carlow

$153 6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Carlow

$106 4.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 36.1% $38

Getting Around

Carlow

$18 * 0.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 121% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,441 in Carlow versus $737 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 370% higher in Carlow, 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 $91.0 in Carlow versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Carlow

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

13:31 1:31 PM

6 h ahead of Carlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,351

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

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Between locations

Carlow Phuket 10,320 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Carlow
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

Carlow vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Carlow is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,822 per month in Carlow and $1,813 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 $2,548 in Carlow and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 111%.

Kindergarten costs $1,052 per month in Carlow and $556 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 $1,208, than in Carlow at $2,548. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Carlow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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