Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gharb and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,217 in Gharb, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Gharb
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Gharb Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Gharb

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,217

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,217 per month in Gharb vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Gharb $2,217
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $3,242 per month in Gharb vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Gharb $3,242
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $4,267 per month in Gharb vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Gharb $4,267
Phuket $3,154

Gharb costs about 73% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gharb sits 63% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 €19.77

$4.47 ฿151

395.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.9

$32.41 ฿1,093

176.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 €11.75

$8.81 ฿297

49.49%

Cappuccino

$3.26 €2.91

$2.83 ฿95.4

15.19%

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

$2.34 €2.09

$0.87 ฿29.40

168.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.72

$0.49 ฿16.65

291.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.95

$2.56 ฿86.3

116.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.88

$3.68 ฿124

79.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.66 ฿55.9

-20.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.46 ฿49.29

-3.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 €3.13

$1.50 ฿50.5

134.00%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.90

$2.09 ฿70.5

109.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 €9.04

$19.07 ฿643

-46.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 €10.80

$3.30 ฿111

266.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.36 €16.38

$10.91 ฿368

68.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 €3.28

$2.93 ฿98.8

25.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.69 ฿57.0

61.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 €3.38

$2.25 ฿75.7

68.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$2.08 ฿70.0

83.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.51 ฿51.0

21.19%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 €2.97

$1.38 ฿46.51

141.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.07 ฿35.95

113.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.52 ฿17.50

184.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 €5.61

$4.20 ฿142

49.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 €5.40

$18.79 ฿634

-67.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.82 ฿61.4

33.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

$2.84 ฿95.8

-16.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.45 ฿48.97

52.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 €3.41

$3.02 ฿102

26.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.02 ฿34.32

77.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.93 €29.38

$3.69 ฿124

792.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.47 ฿49.75

3.40%

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

$27.6K €24.6K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

2.98%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

45.05%

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

$154 €137

$96.4 ฿3,250

59.63%

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

$30.85 €27.53

$11.26 ฿380

173.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.18 €26.03

$16.85 ฿568

73.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.5 €62.0

$67.2 ฿2,268

3.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 €9.94

$7.50 ฿253

48.53%

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

$283 €252

$476 ฿16.1K

-40.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.1K

$11.3K ฿379.9K

9.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 €50.3

$62.4 ฿2,103

-9.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.1 €61.7

$28.41 ฿958

143.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.7

$94.3 ฿3,180

18.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$85.8 ฿2,894

49.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 €870

$716 ฿24.1K

36.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 €954

$491 ฿16.6K

117.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 €1,467

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-14.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 €1,367

$1,431 ฿48.3K

7.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,033 €3,598

$4,175 ฿140.8K

-3.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,039 €2,711

$3,045 ฿102.7K

-0.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

5.57

-27.29%

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

Last update for Gharb: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gharb

$1.1K 48.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 54.1% $579

Groceries & Markets

Gharb

$342 15.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 22.1% $76

Eating Out

Gharb

$314 14.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 61.2% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gharb

$214 9.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 41.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Gharb

$165 7.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 25.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Gharb

$92 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 10.4% $9.5

Getting Around

Gharb

$22 * 1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 225% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $975 in Gharb versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Gharb versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Gharb

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

00:26 12:26 AM

6 h ahead of Gharb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,500

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gharb Phuket 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Gharb
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

Gharb vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gharb costs about 73% 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 $3,326 per month in Gharb and $1,917 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $975 in Gharb.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,217 in Gharb and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Gharb and $476 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 $1,278, than in Gharb at $2,217. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gharb 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 $1,278 in Phuket to $2,217 in Gharb. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.