Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lac and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Lac: $1,083 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Lac
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Lac Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Lac

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,083

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,083 per month in Lac vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Lac $1,083
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,653 per month in Lac vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Lac $1,653
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $2,222 per month in Lac vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Lac $2,222
Phuket $3,154

Lac is about 15% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lac and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Lac 20% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.01 ALL 809

$4.47 ฿151

123.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.40 ALL 3,102

$32.41 ฿1,094

18.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 ALL 582

$8.81 ฿297

-18.16%

Cappuccino

$1.89 ALL 153

$2.83 ฿95.5

-33.22%

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

$1.86 ALL 150

$0.87 ฿29.43

113.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ALL 55.2

$0.49 ฿16.67

38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 ALL 198

$2.56 ฿86.4

-4.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 ALL 277

$3.68 ฿124

-7.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ALL 153

$1.66 ฿56.0

13.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 ALL 75.7

$1.46 ฿49.35

-35.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 ALL 171

$1.50 ฿50.6

41.33%

Eggs

$2.60 ALL 210

$2.09 ฿70.5

24.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 ALL 821

$19.07 ฿644

-46.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.48 ALL 685

$3.30 ฿111

156.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.48 ALL 1,169

$10.91 ฿368

32.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ALL 151

$2.93 ฿99.0

-36.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 ALL 183

$1.69 ฿57.1

34.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ALL 117

$2.25 ฿75.8

-36.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 ALL 129

$2.08 ฿70.1

-23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ALL 84.4

$1.51 ฿51.0

-31.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ALL 101

$1.38 ฿46.56

-9.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ALL 97.1

$1.07 ฿35.99

12.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ALL 62.3

$0.52 ฿17.52

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ALL 359

$4.20 ฿142

5.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.94 ALL 641

$18.79 ฿634

-57.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ALL 142

$1.82 ฿61.5

-3.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 ALL 101

$2.84 ฿95.9

-55.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 ALL 36.20

$1.45 ฿49.03

-68.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.51 ALL 1,576

$56.7 ฿1,913

-65.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.74 ALL 302

$3.02 ฿102

23.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.93 ALL 318

$1.02 ฿34.36

285.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.36 ALL 1,483

$3.69 ฿125

397.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 ALL 182

$1.47 ฿49.81

53.74%

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

$33.8K ALL 2.7M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

26.16%

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

$24.9K ALL 2.0M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-6.78%

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

$62.2 ALL 5,025

$96.4 ฿3,254

-35.43%

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

$16.50 ALL 1,333

$11.26 ฿380

46.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ALL 1,382

$16.85 ฿569

1.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.5 ALL 4,243

$67.2 ฿2,270

-21.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 ALL 715

$7.50 ฿253

18.13%

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

$99.6 ALL 8,047

$476 ฿16.1K

-79.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.88 ALL 4,029

$62.4 ฿2,106

-20.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 ALL 4,461

$28.41 ฿959

94.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ALL 8,098

$94.3 ฿3,184

6.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 ALL 11.8K

$85.8 ฿2,898

70.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 ALL 37.1K

$716 ฿24.2K

-35.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 ALL 25.3K

$491 ฿16.6K

-36.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$787 ALL 63.5K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-59.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 ALL 36.2K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-68.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,807 ALL 145.9K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-56.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,126 ALL 90.9K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-63.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Lac: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lac

$313 28.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 56.8% $178

Groceries & Markets

Lac

$247 22.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 7.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Lac

$158 14.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 22.9% $36

Eating Out

Lac

$154 14.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lac

$96 8.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 29.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lac

$70 6.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 17.1% $12

Getting Around

Lac

$45 4.1%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 57.8% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $460 in Lac versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Lac versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $247 in Lac vs $266 in Phuket – so Lac wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Lac

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

00:39 12:39 AM

6 h ahead of Lac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,086

79,308

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.77 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.91 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lac Phuket 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lac
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

Lac vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,624 per month in Lac and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lac, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $460 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $100 per month in Lac and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,083 in Lac and $1,278 in Phuket, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Lac – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.