Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iskele and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,042 in Iskele, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Iskele
Learn more

Iskele Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Iskele

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,042

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,042 in Iskele versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Iskele $2,042
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,141 in Iskele versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Iskele $3,141
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,240 in Iskele versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Iskele $4,240
Phuket $3,154

Living in Iskele is roughly 60% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Iskele is 50% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.76 €20.36

$4.47 ฿151

409.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.7 €69.5

$32.41 ฿1,094

139.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 €8.45

$8.81 ฿297

7.26%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.55

$2.83 ฿95.4

39.93%

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

$1.89 €1.69

$0.87 ฿29.42

117.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.49 ฿16.66

146.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.89

$2.56 ฿86.4

113.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.13

$3.68 ฿124

55.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.66 ฿56.0

15.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 €2.21

$1.46 ฿49.34

69.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 €2.71

$1.50 ฿50.5

102.00%

Eggs

$4.59 €4.11

$2.09 ฿70.5

119.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 €11.91

$19.07 ฿644

-30.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.77 €8.74

$3.30 ฿111

196.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 €12.44

$10.91 ฿368

27.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 €3.14

$2.93 ฿98.9

19.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.09

$1.69 ฿57.0

37.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 €2.66

$2.25 ฿75.8

32.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 €3.44

$2.08 ฿70.1

85.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.51 ฿51.0

37.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.38 ฿46.55

12.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.07 ฿35.98

16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.52 ฿17.52

113.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.86

$4.20 ฿142

55.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.16 €8.20

$18.79 ฿634

-51.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.82 ฿61.5

1.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.59

$2.84 ฿95.9

2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.45 ฿49.01

57.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 €45.01

$56.7 ฿1,913

-11.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.19 €9.11

$3.02 ฿102

237.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.02 ฿34.35

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.96 €19.65

$3.69 ฿125

495.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.47 ฿49.79

22.45%

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

$31.0K €27.7K

$26.8K ฿904.0K

15.75%

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

$31.6K €28.3K

$26.7K ฿901.1K

18.41%

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

$236 €211

$96.4 ฿3,253

144.72%

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

$20.55 €18.39

$11.26 ฿380

82.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.94 €28.58

$16.85 ฿569

89.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 €61.1

$67.2 ฿2,270

1.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.12 €22.47

$10.73 ฿362

134.11%

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 €11.93

$7.50 ฿253

77.87%

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

$677 €606

$476 ฿16.1K

42.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,245

$11.3K ฿380.2K

-8.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 €87.9

$62.4 ฿2,105

57.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 €46.49

$28.41 ฿959

82.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.7

$94.3 ฿3,183

15.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$85.8 ฿2,897

32.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 €949

$716 ฿24.2K

48.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 €692

$491 ฿16.6K

57.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,839 €1,645

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-4.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 €1,238

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-3.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,912 €2,605

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-30.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,196 €1,964

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-27.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$933 €835

$502 ฿17.0K

85.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

5.57

-29.44%

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

Last update for Iskele: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iskele

$773 37.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 36.5% $282

Groceries & Markets

Iskele

$328 16.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 18.9% $62

Eating Out

Iskele

$309 15.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 60.6% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iskele

$288 14.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 56.8% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Iskele

$168 8.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 27.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Iskele

$95 4.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 13.4% $13

Getting Around

Iskele

$81 4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 12.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,061 in Iskele and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iskele pays 86% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $78 in Iskele vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $328 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Iskele

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:46 3:46 PM

20:46 8:46 PM

5 h ahead of Iskele

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,490

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iskele Phuket 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Iskele
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

Iskele vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 37% 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 86% 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: $1,061 in Iskele versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $677 in Iskele versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Iskele. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,042 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 cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Iskele on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.