Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kos and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,506 in Kos, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
Learn more

Kos Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,506

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,506 in Kos versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Kos $1,506
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,265 in Kos versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Kos $2,265
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,024 in Kos versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Kos $3,024
Phuket $3,154

Living in Kos is roughly 18% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kos is 11% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 €12.51

$4.47 ฿151

211.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.7

$32.41 ฿1,094

104.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.10

$8.81 ฿297

27.70%

Cappuccino

$4.01 €3.61

$2.83 ฿95.5

41.70%

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

$3.09 €2.77

$0.87 ฿29.43

255.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.49 ฿16.67

126.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.34 €3.90

$2.56 ฿86.4

69.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.87

$3.68 ฿124

77.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 €2.17

$1.66 ฿56.0

45.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.46

$1.46 ฿49.35

10.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.34

$1.50 ฿50.6

74.00%

Eggs

$4.61 €4.14

$2.09 ฿70.5

120.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 €11.75

$19.07 ฿644

-31.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 €9.13

$3.30 ฿111

208.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 €13.52

$10.91 ฿368

37.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.93 ฿99.0

-24.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.80

$1.69 ฿57.1

18.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$2.25 ฿75.8

-39.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.83

$2.08 ฿70.1

-1.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.51 ฿51.0

-25.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.38 ฿46.56

-17.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.07 ฿35.99

1.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.76

$0.52 ฿17.52

61.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.39 €4.84

$4.20 ฿142

28.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.07

$18.79 ฿634

-64.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.81

$1.82 ฿61.5

10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.84 ฿95.9

-9.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.45 ฿49.03

26.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.85 €44.78

$56.7 ฿1,913

-12.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 €3.67

$3.02 ฿102

35.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.02

$1.02 ฿34.36

10.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.47 €14.80

$3.69 ฿125

346.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.47 ฿49.81

42.18%

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

$28.0K €25.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

4.42%

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

$25.1K €22.6K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-5.92%

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

$201 €181

$96.4 ฿3,254

109.10%

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

$22.92 €20.59

$11.26 ฿380

103.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.73 €31.20

$16.85 ฿569

106.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 €45.49

$67.2 ฿2,270

-24.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.52 €25.62

$10.73 ฿362

165.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 €7.90

$7.50 ฿253

17.33%

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

$417 €375

$476 ฿16.1K

-12.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,025 €8,107

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-19.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 €79.9

$62.4 ฿2,106

42.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.15 €36.07

$28.41 ฿959

41.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 €83.1

$94.3 ฿3,184

-1.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$85.8 ฿2,898

42.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 €548

$716 ฿24.2K

-14.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 €377

$491 ฿16.6K

-14.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$715 €642

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-62.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 €527

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-58.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,594 €2,330

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-37.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,012 €1,807

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-33.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$902 €810

$502 ฿17.0K

79.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.57

-19.57%

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

Last update for Kos: 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

Kos

$420 27.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 16.8% $71

Groceries & Markets

Kos

$292 19.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 8.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kos

$259 17.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 52% $135

Eating Out

Kos

$245 16.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 50.3% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Kos

$155 10.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Kos

$68 4.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 20.5% $14

Getting Around

Kos

$67 4.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 5.5% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $610 in Kos and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kos pays 80% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Kos vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Kos

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

04:49 4:49 AM

5 h ahead of Kos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,947

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kos Phuket 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kos
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

Kos vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Kos. 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 80% higher in Kos, 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: $610 in Kos versus $716 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 versus $66 in Kos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,506 per month in Kos versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,506 in Kos, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kos. 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, Kos 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, Kos on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.