Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kilkenny and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,340 in Kilkenny, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Kilkenny
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Kilkenny Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kilkenny

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,340

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,340 in Kilkenny versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Kilkenny $2,340
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,280 in Kilkenny versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Kilkenny $3,280
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,221 in Kilkenny versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Kilkenny $4,221
Phuket $3,154

Living in Kilkenny is roughly 83% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kilkenny is 72% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.55 €14.83

$4.47 ฿151

270.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.4

$32.41 ฿1,094

107.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 €8.98

$8.81 ฿297

13.73%

Cappuccino

$4.28 €3.84

$2.83 ฿95.4

51.24%

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

$2.98 €2.67

$0.87 ฿29.42

242.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.49 ฿16.66

344.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.57 €5.89

$2.56 ฿86.3

156.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 €5.83

$3.68 ฿124

76.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.20

$1.66 ฿56.0

-19.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.46 ฿49.32

60.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.50 ฿50.5

2.00%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.93

$2.09 ฿70.5

109.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.50 €9.41

$19.07 ฿643

-44.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 €5.13

$3.30 ฿111

73.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.82 €6.12

$10.91 ฿368

-37.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.93 ฿98.9

-22.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.69 ฿57.0

31.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 €2.72

$2.25 ฿75.8

34.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.55

$2.08 ฿70.1

37.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 €1.11

$1.51 ฿51.0

-18.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.38 ฿46.54

-17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.07 ฿35.97

-20.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.64

$0.52 ฿17.51

251.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.42 €18.30

$4.20 ฿142

386.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.18 €12.71

$18.79 ฿634

-24.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.42

$1.82 ฿61.5

109.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 €3.92

$2.84 ฿95.9

53.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 €2.43

$1.45 ฿49.00

86.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 €4.78

$3.02 ฿102

76.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.02 ฿34.34

38.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.4 €50.6

$3.69 ฿125

1429.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.47 ฿49.78

38.78%

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

$38.2K €34.3K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

42.78%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

43.80%

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

$181 €162

$96.4 ฿3,252

87.36%

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

$20.72 €18.57

$11.26 ฿380

84.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.8 €46.43

$16.85 ฿569

207.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.4 €62.2

$67.2 ฿2,269

3.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.38 €20.05

$10.73 ฿362

108.57%

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 €12.13

$7.50 ฿253

80.40%

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

$877 €786

$476 ฿16.1K

84.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$62.4 ฿2,105

63.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.88 €33.05

$28.41 ฿959

29.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.8

$94.3 ฿3,182

18.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.0 €84.3

$85.8 ฿2,896

9.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,374

$716 ฿24.2K

114.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,252 €1,122

$491 ฿16.6K

155.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,620 €2,348

$1,927 ฿65.0K

35.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 €1,629

$1,431 ฿48.3K

27.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,172 €7,323

$4,175 ฿140.9K

95.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,279 €2,042

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-25.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,765 €2,478

$502 ฿17.0K

450.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

5.57

-33.93%

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

Last update for Kilkenny: 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

Kilkenny

$1.3K 53.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 60.8% $761

Eating Out

Kilkenny

$280 12%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.6% $159

Groceries & Markets

Kilkenny

$280 12%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 4.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kilkenny

$253 10.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 50.8% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Kilkenny

$155 6.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Kilkenny

$96 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 14.8% $14

Getting Around

Kilkenny

$23 * 1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 204% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,534 in Kilkenny and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kilkenny pays about 5.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Kilkenny vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $280 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Kilkenny

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

04:05 4:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

7 h ahead of Kilkenny

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,500

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

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Between locations

Kilkenny Phuket 10,350 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kilkenny
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

Kilkenny vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Kilkenny is about 5.5 times higher, 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: $1,534 in Kilkenny versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $877 in Kilkenny versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $67 in Kilkenny. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,340 in Kilkenny, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kilkenny. 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.

Safety-wise, Kilkenny and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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