Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Luqa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,845 in Luqa, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Luqa
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Luqa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Luqa

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,845

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,845 in Luqa versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Luqa $1,845
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,902 in Luqa versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Luqa $2,902
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,960 in Luqa versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Luqa $3,960
Phuket $3,154

Living in Luqa is roughly 44% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Luqa is 36% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 €17.89

$4.47 ฿151

346.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.9 €89.5

$32.41 ฿1,094

208.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 €9.69

$8.81 ฿297

22.70%

Cappuccino

$3.40 €3.04

$2.83 ฿95.4

20.14%

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

$2.89 €2.59

$0.87 ฿29.42

232.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.77

$0.49 ฿16.66

302.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.07

$2.56 ฿86.3

77.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.83

$3.68 ฿124

16.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.66 ฿56.0

-31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.46 ฿49.32

-20.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 €2.84

$1.50 ฿50.5

111.33%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.53

$2.09 ฿70.5

88.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 €11.93

$19.07 ฿643

-30.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 €8.89

$3.30 ฿111

200.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.81 €14.17

$10.91 ฿368

44.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$2.93 ฿98.9

-6.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.69 ฿57.0

16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 €2.68

$2.25 ฿75.8

32.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.33

$2.08 ฿70.1

78.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.61

$1.51 ฿51.0

18.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.38 ฿46.54

42.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.07 ฿35.97

80.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.52 ฿17.51

71.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.13

$4.20 ฿142

62.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.17 €6.43

$18.79 ฿634

-61.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.35

$1.82 ฿61.5

-17.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.84 ฿95.9

-20.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.45 ฿49.00

51.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.44 €12.94

$56.7 ฿1,912

-74.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 €4.05

$3.02 ฿102

49.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.02 ฿34.34

60.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.01 €34.96

$3.69 ฿125

957.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.47 ฿49.78

-0.68%

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

$24.9K €22.3K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-6.92%

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

$39.5K €35.4K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

47.84%

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

$74.9 €67.1

$96.4 ฿3,252

-22.30%

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

$35.83 €32.10

$11.26 ฿380

218.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.44 €29.96

$16.85 ฿569

98.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.70

$67.2 ฿2,269

-20.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.2 €49.44

$10.73 ฿362

414.17%

Cinema Ticket

$11.10 €9.95

$7.50 ฿253

48.00%

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

$611 €548

$476 ฿16.1K

28.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K €12.2K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

20.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$145 €130

$62.4 ฿2,105

132.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 €49.25

$28.41 ฿959

93.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 €76.3

$94.3 ฿3,182

-9.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €121

$85.8 ฿2,896

57.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 €727

$716 ฿24.2K

13.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €734

$491 ฿16.6K

66.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 €1,151

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-33.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 €1,163

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-9.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,945 €2,639

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-29.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,120 €2,796

$3,045 ฿102.8K

2.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,456 €1,305

$502 ฿17.0K

189.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.22

5.57

-42.19%

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

Last update for Luqa: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Luqa

$819 44.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 40% $328

Groceries & Markets

Luqa

$299 16.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 10.8% $32

Eating Out

Luqa

$284 15.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 57.1% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Luqa

$189 10.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35.5% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Luqa

$144 7.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 13.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Luqa

$75 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 9% $6.8

Getting Around

Luqa

$36 2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 96.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $811 in Luqa and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Luqa pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $100 in Luqa vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $299 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Luqa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

14:02 2:02 PM

6 h ahead of Luqa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,900

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Luqa Phuket 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Luqa
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

Luqa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 31% lower than in Luqa. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Luqa is about 2.9 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: $811 in Luqa versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,845 per month in Luqa versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 31% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Luqa runs roughly 75% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,845 in Luqa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Luqa. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Luqa 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, Luqa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.