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: $1,936 in Iskele versus $1,261 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,003 in Iskele versus $2,286 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,071 in Iskele versus $3,310 in Phuket.

Living in Iskele is roughly 53% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Iskele is 44% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.43 €15.10

$4.56 ฿150

282.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.8 €60.5

$46.63 ฿1,535

49.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.60 €7.45

$8.47 ฿279

1.53%

Cappuccino

$3.66 €3.17

$3.03 ฿99.7

20.79%

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

$2.14 €1.85

$0.69 ฿22.69

210.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.13

$0.37 ฿12.04

254.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 €3.25

$2.49 ฿81.9

50.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 €3.65

$3.66 ฿120

15.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.45

$2.18 ฿71.8

-23.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.52

$1.90 ฿62.6

-7.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 €2.12

$2.20 ฿72.4

11.36%

Eggs

$4.76 €4.12

$2.22 ฿73.2

114.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.98 €14.72

$19.99 ฿658

-15.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 €7.86

$3.66 ฿121

147.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.78 €12.81

$13.25 ฿436

11.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.43

$3.23 ฿106

-13.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 €1.57

$1.70 ฿55.9

6.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 €2.05

$2.39 ฿78.8

-0.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.37

$2.08 ฿68.4

87.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 €1.19

$1.59 ฿52.4

-13.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.02

$1.48 ฿48.83

-20.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 €0.73

$1.03 ฿33.90

-17.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.72

$0.52 ฿17.01

59.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 €4.91

$4.25 ฿140

33.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.04 €7.84

$18.79 ฿618

-51.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.65

$1.76 ฿57.8

7.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.08

$2.76 ฿90.8

-13.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €1.95

$1.36 ฿44.79

66.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.1 €45.18

$11.36 ฿374

358.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.57 €7.43

$3.14 ฿103

172.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 €1.74

$1.04 ฿34.10

92.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.39 €18.54

$13.77 ฿453

55.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.37

$1.34 ฿44.26

17.91%

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

$26.0K €22.6K

$27.7K ฿911.1K

-5.89%

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

$35.5K €30.8K

$33.9K ฿1.1M

4.89%

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

$187 €162

$124 ฿4,069

51.49%

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

$23.24 €20.14

$13.52 ฿445

71.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.56 €35.16

$18.69 ฿615

117.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.6 €62.1

$61.8 ฿2,035

15.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.85 €25.87

$17.25 ฿568

73.04%

Cinema Ticket

$11.61 €10.06

$9.14 ฿301

27.02%

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

$459 €398

$703 ฿23.1K

-34.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,988 €6,923

$15.9K ฿522.5K

-49.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €76.4

$59.5 ฿1,958

48.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 €47.38

$35.07 ฿1,154

55.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €95.5

$115 ฿3,795

-4.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €92.7

$84.1 ฿2,767

27.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 €981

$619 ฿20.4K

82.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$816 €707

$433 ฿14.2K

88.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,870 €1,621

$2,062 ฿67.9K

-9.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 €1,219

$1,511 ฿49.7K

-6.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,079 €2,669

$3,646 ฿120.0K

-15.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,305 €1,998

$2,626 ฿86.4K

-12.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$941 €815

$507 ฿16.7K

85.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.34

5.33

-18.57%

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

Last update for Iskele: June 8, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,132 in Iskele and $619 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iskele pays 86% 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: $70.0 in Iskele vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $310 vs $293 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 53% 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.

Iskele pays 86% more on average, 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: $1,132 in Iskele versus $619 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $459 in Iskele versus $703 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Iskele. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,261 in Phuket versus $1,936 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 $1,261 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 53% less than in Iskele. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.