Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elbasan and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Elbasan: $887 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Elbasan
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Elbasan Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Elbasan

🇦🇱 Albania

$887

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $887 per month in Elbasan vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Elbasan $887
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,399 per month in Elbasan vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Elbasan $1,399
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $1,912 per month in Elbasan vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Elbasan $1,912
Phuket $3,115

Elbasan is about 31% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Elbasan and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Elbasan 34% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.95 ALL 802

$4.39 ฿147

126.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.83 ALL 2,967

$32.31 ฿1,078

13.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.76 ALL 544

$8.70 ฿290

-22.30%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ALL 138

$2.72 ฿90.9

-36.76%

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

$1.40 ALL 113

$0.93 ฿31.06

50.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ALL 52.7

$0.50 ฿16.67

30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ALL 172

$2.53 ฿84.5

-15.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ALL 220

$3.63 ฿121

-24.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ALL 153

$1.74 ฿58.1

9.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ALL 75.4

$1.45 ฿48.42

-35.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ALL 127

$1.50 ฿50.1

4.67%

Eggs

$2.60 ALL 210

$2.17 ฿72.5

19.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.33 ALL 833

$19.09 ฿637

-45.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 ALL 476

$3.40 ฿113

73.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.30 ALL 910

$10.90 ฿364

3.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 ALL 96.8

$2.94 ฿98.2

-59.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ALL 182

$1.69 ฿56.5

33.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 ALL 112

$2.19 ฿73.2

-36.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ALL 91.6

$2.12 ฿70.9

-46.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 ALL 80.2

$1.46 ฿48.68

-31.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ALL 83.8

$1.37 ฿45.66

-24.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ALL 66.6

$1.08 ฿35.91

-23.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ALL 53.5

$0.55 ฿18.21

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.34 ALL 350

$4.43 ฿148

-2.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 ALL 492

$18.25 ฿609

-66.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ALL 82.3

$1.77 ฿59.2

-42.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 ALL 145

$2.88 ฿96.2

-37.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ALL 38.22

$1.45 ฿48.32

-67.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.64 ALL 1,583

$54.9 ฿1,832

-64.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ALL 290

$1.51 ฿50.5

138.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 ALL 117

$0.78 ฿25.90

85.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.57 ALL 1,174

$3.84 ฿128

279.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 ALL 172

$1.49 ฿49.65

43.62%

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

$29.2K ALL 2.4M

$26.9K ฿897.3K

8.67%

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

$29.3K ALL 2.4M

$26.3K ฿879.4K

11.12%

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

$61.7 ALL 4,971

$97.8 ฿3,265

-36.93%

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

$15.34 ALL 1,236

$11.29 ฿377

35.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.08 ALL 973

$17.19 ฿574

-29.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 ALL 4,671

$68.3 ฿2,281

-15.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.03 ALL 1,372

$10.92 ฿365

55.95%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 ALL 355

$7.43 ฿248

-40.65%

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

$142 ALL 11.4K

$530 ฿17.7K

-73.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,886 ALL 151.9K

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-89.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.7 ALL 5,857

$61.7 ฿2,059

17.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.03 ALL 3,548

$28.25 ฿943

55.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 ALL 7,523

$96.0 ฿3,204

-2.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.4 ALL 7,768

$86.8 ฿2,898

11.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 ALL 23.9K

$721 ฿24.1K

-58.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 ALL 16.8K

$509 ฿17.0K

-59.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$435 ALL 35.1K

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-77.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$317 ALL 25.5K

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-77.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,377 ALL 111.0K

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-67.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$870 ALL 70.1K

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-73.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 ALL 50.4K

$492 ฿16.4K

27.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

5.57

9.52%

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

Last update for Elbasan: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Elbasan

$208 23.5%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 144% $300

Groceries & Markets

Elbasan

$208 23.4%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 28.6% $59

Eating Out

Elbasan

$145 16.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 17.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Elbasan

$138 15.6%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 11% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elbasan

$89 10.1%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 41.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Elbasan

$67 7.5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 24.5% $16

Getting Around

Elbasan

$32 3.7%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 104% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $297 in Elbasan versus $721 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 27% higher in Elbasan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Elbasan versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $208 in Elbasan vs $267 in Phuket – so Elbasan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Elbasan

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

04:19 4:19 AM

6 h ahead of Elbasan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,703

79,308

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 80.57 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.45 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Elbasan Phuket 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Elbasan
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

Elbasan vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,331 per month in Elbasan and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Elbasan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $297 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Elbasan and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Elbasan, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Elbasan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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