Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuressaare and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,492 in Kuressaare, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kuressaare
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Kuressaare Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Kuressaare

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,492

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,492 per month in Kuressaare vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Kuressaare $1,492
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $2,208 per month in Kuressaare vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Kuressaare $2,208
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $2,925 per month in Kuressaare vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Kuressaare $2,925
Phuket $3,115

Kuressaare costs about 15% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kuressaare sits 10% above the global median, while Phuket is 4% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.51 €12.05

$4.39 ฿148

207.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.2

$32.31 ฿1,090

105.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 €7.78

$8.70 ฿294

0.23%

Cappuccino

$4.00 €3.57

$2.72 ฿91.9

47.06%

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

$3.46 €3.09

$0.93 ฿31.38

272.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$0.50 ฿16.85

460.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.40 €5.71

$2.53 ฿85.4

152.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$3.63 ฿122

54.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.74 ฿58.7

-28.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.45 ฿48.93

31.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.50 ฿50.7

53.33%

Eggs

$2.98 €2.65

$2.17 ฿73.3

37.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 €11.14

$19.09 ฿644

-34.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 €7.66

$3.40 ฿115

152.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.04 €13.42

$10.90 ฿368

37.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.94 ฿99.2

-40.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.69 ฿57.1

-14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$2.19 ฿74.0

15.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 €2.65

$2.12 ฿71.6

40.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.46 ฿49.19

-28.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.37 ฿46.14

-35.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.08 ฿36.29

73.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.55 ฿18.40

118.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.91

$4.43 ฿149

49.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 €9.05

$18.25 ฿616

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.77 ฿59.8

5.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.88 ฿97.2

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.45 ฿48.82

57.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.06 €25.03

$54.9 ฿1,851

-48.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 €3.26

$1.51 ฿51.0

142.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.89

$0.78 ฿26.17

26.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.01 €24.10

$3.84 ฿129

603.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.49 ฿50.2

34.23%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$26.9K ฿906.7K

2.12%

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

$29.3K €26.1K

$26.3K ฿888.6K

11.23%

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

$310 €276

$97.8 ฿3,299

216.86%

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

$11.33 €10.10

$11.29 ฿381

0.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.43 €32.50

$17.19 ฿580

111.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.12 €29.55

$68.3 ฿2,305

-51.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$11.54 €10.29

$7.43 ฿251

55.32%

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

$475 €424

$530 ฿17.9K

-10.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.7K

$18.8K ฿633.5K

-36.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$61.7 ฿2,080

76.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.38 €43.15

$28.25 ฿953

71.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €93.1

$96.0 ฿3,238

8.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$86.8 ฿2,928

37.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 €455

$721 ฿24.3K

-29.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 €293

$509 ฿17.2K

-35.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$657 €586

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-66.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 €441

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-64.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,044 €3,607

$4,192 ฿141.4K

-3.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,476 €2,208

$3,298 ฿111.3K

-24.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 €1,141

$492 ฿16.6K

160.29%

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 Kuressaare: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuressaare

$358 24%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 64.7% $231

Accommodation & Living

Kuressaare

$329 22.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 54.7% $180

Groceries & Markets

Kuressaare

$281 18.8%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 5.1% $14

Eating Out

Kuressaare

$251 16.8%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 52.3% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Kuressaare

$171 11.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 28.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Kuressaare

$56 3.8%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 48% $27

Getting Around

Kuressaare

$46 3.1%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 44.2% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Kuressaare versus $721 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kuressaare are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Kuressaare versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Kuressaare

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:48 3:48 AM

08:48 8:48 AM

5 h ahead of Kuressaare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,170

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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Highest

Between locations

Kuressaare Phuket 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuressaare
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

Kuressaare vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kuressaare is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,238 per month in Kuressaare and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuressaare, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,492 in Kuressaare and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 13% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Kuressaare. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,492 in Kuressaare. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kuressaare makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.