Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heraklion and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,594 in Heraklion, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
Learn more

Heraklion Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,594

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Heraklion versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Heraklion $1,594
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,499 in Heraklion versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Heraklion $2,499
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,403 in Heraklion versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Heraklion $3,403
Phuket $2,867

Living in Heraklion is roughly 32% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Heraklion is 18% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.89 €11.47

$4.58 ฿153

181.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €49.86

$32.48 ฿1,086

72.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.82

$8.55 ฿286

16.02%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.41

$2.72 ฿91.0

40.81%

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

$2.44 €2.17

$0.94 ฿31.25

159.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$0.49 ฿16.39

61.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 €4.82

$2.59 ฿86.6

109.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 €4.69

$3.83 ฿128

37.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.74 ฿58.1

-2.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.43 ฿47.82

-0.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 €2.29

$1.53 ฿51.0

68.63%

Eggs

$4.46 €3.97

$2.17 ฿72.7

105.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 €14.15

$19.15 ฿640

-16.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.54 €9.38

$3.30 ฿110

219.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.14 €13.46

$11.14 ฿372

35.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.95 ฿98.5

-26.44%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.68 ฿56.1

27.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.30 ฿76.8

-40.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.13 ฿71.3

-21.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.53 ฿51.1

-19.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.36 ฿45.55

-9.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.12 ฿37.44

-16.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.64

$0.55 ฿18.24

30.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.94 €4.39

$4.26 ฿142

15.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.60 €6.76

$18.19 ฿608

-58.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.74 ฿58.2

34.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.54

$2.79 ฿93.3

2.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 €1.30

$2.22 ฿74.1

-34.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.6 €60.1

$22.06 ฿737

206.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.89

$2.91 ฿97.3

50.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.01 ฿33.79

11.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.14 €9.91

$3.83 ฿128

190.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.49 ฿49.85

44.97%

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

$27.3K €24.3K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

2.43%

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

$24.0K €21.3K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-10.20%

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

$194 €173

$99.4 ฿3,321

95.55%

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

$30.65 €27.26

$11.28 ฿377

171.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.76 €34.48

$17.36 ฿580

123.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.10 €43.68

$52.3 ฿1,747

-6.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.52 €35.15

$10.85 ฿362

264.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.74 €7.77

$7.57 ฿253

15.46%

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

$409 €364

$558 ฿18.7K

-26.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,997 €3,555

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-65.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.1 €80.1

$62.9 ฿2,102

43.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.03 €37.39

$28.58 ฿955

47.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 €75.8

$96.1 ฿3,213

-11.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$88.1 ฿2,943

54.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 €569

$729 ฿24.4K

-12.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 €443

$460 ฿15.4K

8.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €969

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-48.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$987 €878

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-19.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,043 €3,597

$3,459 ฿115.6K

16.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,746 €2,442

$2,489 ฿83.2K

10.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,128 €1,004

$493 ฿16.5K

128.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.57

-20.29%

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

Last update for Heraklion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Heraklion

$498 31.2%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 7.7% $38

Groceries & Markets

Heraklion

$294 18.4%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heraklion

$264 16.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 51.5% $136

Eating Out

Heraklion

$229 14.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 47.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Heraklion

$159 10%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 21.9% $35

Getting Around

Heraklion

$83 5.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 53.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Heraklion

$67 4.2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 1.3% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $640 in Heraklion and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Heraklion pays 129% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $56.0 in Heraklion vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

21:04 9:04 PM

4 h ahead of Heraklion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,730

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

Heraklion Phuket 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Heraklion
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

Heraklion vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 129% higher in Heraklion, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $640 in Heraklion versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $409 in Heraklion versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Heraklion. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,594 in Heraklion, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Heraklion. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Heraklion, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Heraklion and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Heraklion. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.