Cost of Living Comparison Between Iskele and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Iskele and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,928 in Iskele versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,951 in Iskele versus $2,089 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,973 in Iskele versus $2,913 in Phuket.

Living in Iskele is roughly 52% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Iskele is 40% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.76 €15.30

$4.66 ฿154

281.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 €49.74

$32.22 ฿1,065

79.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 €8.21

$8.68 ฿287

9.79%

Cappuccino

$3.62 €3.12

$2.90 ฿95.8

24.83%

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

$1.99 €1.71

$0.84 ฿27.89

136.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.02

$0.49 ฿16.16

142.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 €3.66

$2.48 ฿82.0

70.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.45

$3.73 ฿123

7.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.72

$1.89 ฿62.3

5.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.33

$1.41 ฿46.54

9.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 €2.06

$1.62 ฿53.6

47.53%

Eggs

$5.38 €4.64

$2.24 ฿74.1

140.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.02 €12.08

$19.84 ฿656

-29.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 €8.02

$3.48 ฿115

167.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.63 €10.88

$11.37 ฿376

11.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 €2.78

$2.90 ฿95.8

11.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.64

$1.72 ฿57.0

10.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.80

$2.27 ฿75.1

-7.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 €3.34

$2.13 ฿70.4

81.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 €1.29

$1.47 ฿48.72

2.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.03

$1.42 ฿46.92

-15.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 €0.56

$1.10 ฿36.25

-40.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.93

$0.60 ฿19.76

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.82 €5.02

$4.31 ฿142

35.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 €6.09

$18.60 ฿615

-62.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.49

$1.80 ฿59.5

-3.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.81

$2.97 ฿98.0

-29.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 €2.02

$2.25 ฿74.2

4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.2 €45.00

$23.49 ฿776

122.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.64 €10.03

$3.10 ฿102

275.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €1.96

$1.08 ฿35.56

110.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.35 €20.13

$3.87 ฿128

503.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 €1.57

$1.43 ฿47.16

27.27%

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

$34.1K €29.4K

$27.8K ฿918.0K

22.61%

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

$34.4K €29.6K

$27.0K ฿891.5K

27.36%

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

$174 €150

$105 ฿3,462

66.11%

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

$22.48 €19.37

$11.39 ฿376

97.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.07 €31.09

$17.54 ฿580

105.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.8 €61.0

$54.3 ฿1,795

30.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.95 €24.95

$11.44 ฿378

153.06%

Cinema Ticket

$11.82 €10.19

$7.78 ฿257

51.93%

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

$442 €381

$576 ฿19.0K

-23.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,892 €5,940

$11.6K ฿382.7K

-40.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 €73.4

$63.6 ฿2,103

33.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.84 €40.37

$29.10 ฿961

60.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 €84.5

$96.2 ฿3,179

1.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 €80.3

$90.0 ฿2,974

3.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 €963

$733 ฿24.2K

52.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$811 €699

$501 ฿16.5K

61.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,901 €1,639

$2,126 ฿70.2K

-10.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 €1,197

$1,252 ฿41.4K

10.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,046 €2,625

$3,534 ฿116.8K

-13.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,333 €2,010

$2,622 ฿86.6K

-11.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$970 €836

$508 ฿16.8K

91.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.31

5.57

-40.57%

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

Last update for Iskele: September 7, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,117 in Iskele and $733 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iskele pays 91% 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: $58.0 in Iskele vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $275 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Iskele vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Iskele. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 91% higher in Iskele, 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: $1,117 in Iskele versus $733 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $442 in Iskele versus $576 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Iskele. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $1,928 in Iskele, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Iskele. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,265 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Iskele 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 52% less than in Iskele. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.