Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makarska and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,613 in Makarska, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Makarska
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Makarska Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Makarska

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,613

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,613 in Makarska versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Makarska $1,613
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,481 in Makarska versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Makarska $2,481
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,349 in Makarska versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Makarska $3,349
Phuket $3,115

Living in Makarska is roughly 25% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Makarska is 19% above, Phuket is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.40 €15.46

$4.39 ฿148

296.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.5

$32.31 ฿1,086

138.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 €7.04

$8.70 ฿293

-8.85%

Cappuccino

$3.25 €2.88

$2.72 ฿91.6

19.49%

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

$4.00 €3.55

$0.93 ฿31.28

330.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.72

$0.50 ฿16.79

512.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.84

$2.53 ฿85.1

115.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.83 €4.29

$3.63 ฿122

33.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.74 ฿58.5

-32.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.45 ฿48.77

14.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 €2.70

$1.50 ฿50.5

102.67%

Eggs

$5.03 €4.47

$2.17 ฿73.0

131.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.99 €13.31

$19.09 ฿642

-21.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 €8.51

$3.40 ฿114

181.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.11 €10.76

$10.90 ฿366

11.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 €1.70

$2.94 ฿98.9

-34.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.69 ฿56.9

-5.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.19 ฿73.8

-4.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.12 ฿71.4

25.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.95

$1.46 ฿49.03

50.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.37 ฿45.99

51.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.41

$1.08 ฿36.17

47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.55 ฿18.34

181.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 €5.06

$4.43 ฿149

28.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.04

$18.25 ฿614

-56.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.21

$1.77 ฿59.6

-22.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$2.88 ฿96.8

-48.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.45 ฿48.66

16.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.77 €38.88

$54.9 ฿1,845

-20.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 €2.94

$1.51 ฿50.9

118.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.78 ฿26.08

76.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.47 €11.97

$3.84 ฿129

250.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.49 ฿50.0

10.74%

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

$26.2K €23.2K

$26.9K ฿903.7K

-2.71%

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

$24.6K €21.9K

$26.3K ฿885.7K

-6.48%

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

$181 €161

$97.8 ฿3,288

85.18%

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

$27.54 €24.47

$11.29 ฿380

143.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.92 €38.13

$17.19 ฿578

149.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 €45.92

$68.3 ฿2,297

-24.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.42 €13.70

$10.92 ฿367

41.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.67 €9.48

$7.43 ฿250

43.61%

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

$412 €366

$530 ฿17.8K

-22.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,854 €6,088

$18.8K ฿631.4K

-63.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.0 €80.8

$61.7 ฿2,073

47.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.42 €39.46

$28.25 ฿950

57.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$96.0 ฿3,228

8.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 €70.5

$86.8 ฿2,919

-8.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 €608

$721 ฿24.2K

-5.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 €467

$509 ฿17.1K

3.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,032

$1,950 ฿65.6K

-40.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$862 €766

$1,397 ฿47.0K

-38.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,989 €3,543

$4,192 ฿140.9K

-4.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,885 €2,563

$3,298 ฿110.9K

-12.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.72

5.57

-33.21%

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

Last update for Makarska: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makarska

$525 32.6%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 3.1% $16

Groceries & Markets

Makarska

$292 18.1%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 8.6% $25

Eating Out

Makarska

$267 16.6%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 55.2% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makarska

$252 15.6%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 49.8% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Makarska

$143 8.9%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 14.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Makarska

$73 4.5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 13.9% $10

Getting Around

Makarska

$61 3.8%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 8.8% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $685 in Makarska and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $77 in Makarska vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Makarska

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

03:56 3:56 AM

6 h ahead of Makarska

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,809

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Makarska Phuket 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Makarska
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

Makarska vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,420 in Makarska and $1,940 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $685 in Makarska versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $412 in Makarska versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Makarska. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,613 in Makarska, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Makarska. 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, Makarska and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.