Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ljubljana and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $2,111 in Ljubljana, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Ljubljana
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Ljubljana Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Ljubljana

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$2,111

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,111 in Ljubljana versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Ljubljana $2,111
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,086 in Ljubljana versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Ljubljana $3,086
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,062 in Ljubljana versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Ljubljana $4,062
Phuket $2,822

Living in Ljubljana is roughly 77% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ljubljana is 58% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.87 €14.16

$4.35 ฿146

264.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$32.45 ฿1,087

108.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 €9.88

$8.42 ฿282

31.47%

Cappuccino

$2.90 €2.58

$2.81 ฿94.0

3.20%

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

$3.22 €2.87

$0.87 ฿29.29

270.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.46 ฿15.39

328.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.94 €3.52

$2.59 ฿86.6

52.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.95

$3.64 ฿122

21.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.23

$1.71 ฿57.2

-19.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.45 ฿48.42

52.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 €2.87

$1.56 ฿52.3

106.41%

Eggs

$4.11 €3.67

$2.10 ฿70.3

95.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.98 €13.36

$19.53 ฿654

-23.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 €9.07

$3.40 ฿114

199.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.01 €13.40

$11.14 ฿373

34.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$2.83 ฿94.8

-19.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.62 ฿54.3

6.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.22 ฿74.5

2.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.59 €3.21

$2.15 ฿71.9

66.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.49 ฿49.95

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.33 ฿44.40

22.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.07 ฿35.72

59.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.51 ฿17.01

74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 €5.66

$4.38 ฿147

44.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.91 €7.06

$18.77 ฿629

-57.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.74 ฿58.3

-18.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.78 ฿92.9

-21.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.17 ฿72.6

-21.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.46 €37.00

$22.28 ฿746

86.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.15 €1.92

$3.02 ฿101

-28.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.06 ฿35.43

17.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.30 €17.22

$3.71 ฿124

420.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.43 ฿47.88

32.87%

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

$29.6K €26.4K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

12.39%

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

$25.1K €22.4K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

-4.14%

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

$287 €256

$96.7 ฿3,236

196.81%

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

$16.33 €14.58

$11.41 ฿382

43.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.49 €37.92

$17.11 ฿573

148.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.5 €48.66

$52.8 ฿1,768

3.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.60 €21.96

$11.07 ฿371

122.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.49 €9.36

$7.65 ฿256

37.12%

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

$661 €590

$555 ฿18.6K

19.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K €12.4K

$11.3K ฿377.7K

23.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 €104

$63.4 ฿2,123

83.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.02 €39.29

$28.61 ฿958

53.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$96.7 ฿3,238

12.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$88.6 ฿2,967

64.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 €1,002

$735 ฿24.6K

52.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$884 €789

$458 ฿15.3K

93.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,077 €1,853

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-1.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 €1,277

$1,187 ฿39.7K

20.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,421 €5,730

$3,493 ฿116.9K

83.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,816 €4,298

$2,491 ฿83.4K

93.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,001 €1,786

$501 ฿16.8K

299.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

5.57

-36.09%

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

Last update for Ljubljana: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ljubljana

$884 42.1%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 48.2% $426

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ljubljana

$346 16.5%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 63.8% $221

Groceries & Markets

Ljubljana

$307 14.6%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 12.8% $39

Eating Out

Ljubljana

$244 11.6%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 51.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Ljubljana

$187 8.9%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 33.3% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Ljubljana

$76 3.6%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 9.8% $7.4

Getting Around

Ljubljana

$57 2.7%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 30.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,123 in Ljubljana and $735 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ljubljana pays 299% 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: $67.0 in Ljubljana vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $307 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇮 Ljubljana

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

20:06 8:06 PM

5 h ahead of Ljubljana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

285,604 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ljubljana Phuket 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

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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

Ljubljana vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 77% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 299% higher in Ljubljana, 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: $1,123 in Ljubljana versus $735 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 86% less than in Ljubljana. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $661 in Ljubljana versus $555 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $2,111 in Ljubljana, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Ljubljana. 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 Ljubljana, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ljubljana 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 77% less than in Ljubljana. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.