Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlovy Vary and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,447 in Karlovy Vary, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Karlovy Vary
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Karlovy Vary Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Karlovy Vary

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,447

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,447 in Karlovy Vary versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Karlovy Vary $1,447
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,407 in Karlovy Vary versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Karlovy Vary $2,407
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,367 in Karlovy Vary versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Karlovy Vary $3,367
Phuket $2,867

Living in Karlovy Vary is roughly 20% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Karlovy Vary is 7% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 Kč 197

$4.58 ฿153

99.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.32 Kč 980

$32.48 ฿1,086

39.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.63 Kč 187

$8.55 ฿286

0.94%

Cappuccino

$2.92 Kč 63.1

$2.72 ฿91.0

7.35%

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

$1.64 Kč 35.40

$0.94 ฿31.25

74.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 Kč 29.28

$0.49 ฿16.39

175.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 Kč 43.64

$2.59 ฿86.6

-22.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 Kč 41.42

$3.83 ฿128

-49.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Kč 25.17

$1.74 ฿58.1

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 Kč 31.01

$1.43 ฿47.82

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 Kč 49.89

$1.53 ฿51.0

50.98%

Eggs

$2.80 Kč 60.6

$2.17 ฿72.7

29.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 Kč 266

$19.15 ฿640

-35.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.03 Kč 152

$3.30 ฿110

113.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 Kč 361

$11.14 ฿372

49.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Kč 40.12

$2.95 ฿98.5

-36.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Kč 36.87

$1.68 ฿56.1

1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 Kč 46.31

$2.30 ฿76.8

-6.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 Kč 70.1

$2.13 ฿71.3

52.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 Kč 23.03

$1.53 ฿51.1

-30.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 Kč 23.80

$1.36 ฿45.55

-19.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 Kč 24.54

$1.12 ฿37.44

0.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 Kč 16.42

$0.55 ฿18.24

38.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.45 Kč 161

$4.26 ฿142

74.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 Kč 149

$18.19 ฿608

-62.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 Kč 19.04

$1.74 ฿58.2

-49.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 Kč 35.69

$2.79 ฿93.3

-40.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 Kč 48.81

$2.22 ฿74.1

1.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.53 Kč 552

$22.06 ฿737

15.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 Kč 58.6

$2.91 ฿97.3

-6.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 Kč 31.30

$1.01 ฿33.79

43.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.71 Kč 361

$3.83 ฿128

336.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 Kč 40.76

$1.49 ฿49.85

26.17%

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

$27.5K Kč 594.6K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

3.05%

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

$23.2K Kč 502.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-13.09%

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

$252 Kč 5,447

$99.4 ฿3,321

153.49%

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

$22.47 Kč 486

$11.28 ฿377

99.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.84 Kč 407

$17.36 ฿580

8.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 Kč 1,252

$52.3 ฿1,747

10.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.42 Kč 463

$10.85 ฿362

97.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 Kč 150

$7.57 ฿253

-8.45%

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

$182 Kč 3,941

$558 ฿18.7K

-67.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,794 Kč 60.4K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-75.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 Kč 1,804

$62.9 ฿2,102

32.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.53 Kč 790

$28.58 ฿955

27.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 Kč 2,175

$96.1 ฿3,213

4.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 Kč 2,656

$88.1 ฿2,943

39.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 Kč 15.0K

$729 ฿24.4K

-5.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 Kč 10.2K

$460 ฿15.4K

2.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,642 Kč 35.5K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-21.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 Kč 28.2K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

6.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,820 Kč 147.5K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

97.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 Kč 110.9K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

106.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,404 Kč 30.4K

$493 ฿16.5K

184.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.67

5.57

-16.16%

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

Last update for Karlovy Vary: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlovy Vary

$470 32.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 2.1% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlovy Vary

$293 20.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 56.3% $165

Groceries & Markets

Karlovy Vary

$253 17.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 5.6% $14

Eating Out

Karlovy Vary

$160 11%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 24.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Karlovy Vary

$155 10.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Karlovy Vary

$72 5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 6% $4.3

Getting Around

Karlovy Vary

$45 3.1%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 12.6% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $692 in Karlovy Vary and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Karlovy Vary pays 185% 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: $45.00 in Karlovy Vary vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $253 vs $268, with Karlovy Vary cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Karlovy Vary

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

5 h ahead of Karlovy Vary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,065

79,308

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇿 Czech Koruna (Kč)

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CZK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Karlovy Vary Phuket 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Karlovy Vary
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

Karlovy Vary vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 185% higher in Karlovy Vary, 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: $692 in Karlovy Vary versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $45.00 in Karlovy Vary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,447 per month in Karlovy Vary versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,447 in Karlovy Vary, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Karlovy Vary. 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 Karlovy Vary, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Karlovy Vary 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 20% less than in Karlovy Vary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.