Measurement units Temperature, distance and clock format
Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Medea and Phuket
For one person, living is cheaper in Medea: $453 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medea and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
A single person spends $453 per month in Medea vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.
Medea $453
Phuket $1,278
A couple spends around $778 per month in Medea vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.
Medea $778
Phuket $2,216
A family of three spends $1,103 per month in Medea vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.
Medea $1,103
Phuket $3,154
🙂
Medea is about 65% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Both Medea and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Medea67% lower, Phuket6% lower.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Medea
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.91DZD 258
$4.47฿151
-57.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.37DZD 3,833
$32.41฿1,093
-12.47%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$3.80DZD 514
$8.81฿297
-56.87%
Cappuccino
$0.36DZD 49.19
$2.83฿95.4
-87.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43DZD 58.2
$0.87฿29.40
-50.57%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$0.21DZD 27.69
$0.49฿16.65
-57.14%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$2.19DZD 296
$2.56฿86.3
-14.45%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18DZD 295
$3.68฿124
-40.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Medea
Phuket
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$0.88DZD 119
$1.66฿55.9
-46.99%
White Bread(500g)
$0.08DZD 10.17
$1.46฿49.29
-94.52%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$1.10DZD 148
$1.50฿50.5
-26.67%
Eggs
$1.19DZD 161
$2.09฿70.5
-43.06%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$7.91DZD 1,069
$19.07฿643
-58.52%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$3.93DZD 530
$3.30฿111
19.09%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$14.49DZD 1,957
$10.91฿368
32.81%
Apples(1kg)
$2.04DZD 275
$2.93฿98.8
-30.38%
Banana(1kg)
$2.77DZD 374
$1.69฿57.0
63.91%
Oranges(1kg)
$1.07DZD 144
$2.25฿75.7
-52.44%
Tomato(1kg)
$0.60DZD 80.6
$2.08฿70.0
-71.15%
Potato(1kg)
$0.62DZD 83.2
$1.51฿51.0
-58.94%
Onion(1kg)
$0.49DZD 65.9
$1.38฿46.51
-64.49%
Lettuce(1 head)
$0.81DZD 109
$1.07฿35.95
-24.30%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.27DZD 36.50
$0.52฿17.50
-48.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$2.16DZD 292
$4.20฿142
-48.57%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.84DZD 923
$18.79฿634
-63.60%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28DZD 172
$1.82฿61.4
-29.67%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87DZD 253
$2.84฿95.8
-34.15%
🚌 Getting Around
Medea
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$0.23DZD 30.47
$1.45฿48.97
-84.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$6.89DZD 931
$56.7฿1,911
-87.84%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$0.54DZD 73.6
$3.02฿102
-82.12%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$0.46DZD 62.2
$1.02฿34.32
-54.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$5.55DZD 750
$3.69฿124
50.41%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$0.32DZD 43.87
$1.47฿49.75
-78.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.7KDZD 2.7M
$26.8K฿903.2K
-26.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4KDZD 4.7M
$26.7K฿900.3K
29.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medea
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$18.29DZD 2,470
$96.4฿3,250
-81.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.51DZD 1,014
$11.26฿380
-33.30%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.12DZD 1,637
$16.85฿568
-28.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Medea
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$22.61DZD 3,054
$67.2฿2,268
-66.37%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$1.89DZD 256
$10.73฿362
-82.39%
Cinema Ticket
$3.27DZD 442
$7.50฿253
-56.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Medea
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$39.39DZD 5,322
$476฿16.1K
-91.72%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$6,300DZD 851.0K
$11.3K฿379.9K
-44.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Medea
Phuket
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$19.54DZD 2,640
$62.4฿2,103
-68.67%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.20DZD 4,214
$28.41฿958
9.82%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$31.23DZD 4,219
$94.3฿3,180
-66.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.9DZD 7,409
$85.8฿2,894
-36.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Medea
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$141DZD 19.1K
$716฿24.1K
-80.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$91.6DZD 12.4K
$491฿16.6K
-81.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$268DZD 36.2K
$1,927฿65.0K
-86.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$197DZD 26.7K
$1,431฿48.3K
-86.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$990DZD 133.7K
$4,175฿140.8K
-76.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$1,059DZD 143.0K
$3,045฿102.7K
-65.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Medea
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$311DZD 42.1K
$502฿16.9K
-38.00%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
5
5.57
-10.23%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Medea: October 26, 2026
Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🛒Groceries & Markets
Medea
$173 38.2%
Phuket
$266 20.8% ↑ 54.2%$94
🏠Accommodation & Living
Medea
$92 20.3%
Phuket
$491 38.4% ↑ 436%$399
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Medea
$62 13.6%
Phuket
$122 9.5% ↑ 98%$60
🍽Eating Out
Medea
$49 10.8%
Phuket
$122 9.5% ↑ 149%$73
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medea
$38 8.4%
Phuket
$124 9.7% ↑ 228%$87
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Medea
$29 6.4%
Phuket
$82 6.4% ↑ 182%$53
🚌Getting Around
Medea
$11 2.4%
Phuket
$71 5.5% ↑ 563%$60
🛒Groceries & Markets
Medea
$408 36.9%
Phuket
$600 19% ↑ 47.1%$192
🏠Accommodation & Living
Medea
$197 17.9%
Phuket
$1.4K 45.4% ↑ 624%$1.2K
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Medea
$137 12.4%
Phuket
$271 8.6% ↑ 98%$134
🍽Eating Out
Medea
$234 21.2%
Phuket
$398 12.6% ↑ 69.9%$164
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Medea
$45 4.1%
Phuket
$136 4.3% ↑ 199%$90
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Medea
$60 5.5%
Phuket
$175 5.6% ↑ 191%$115
🚌Getting Around
Medea
$22 2%
Phuket
$144 4.6% ↑ 563%$122
Cost Breakdown
🏠A central one-bedroom costs $141 in Medea 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.
💰Salaries run about 61% higher in Phuket, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.
🛒A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Medea versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $266 – making Medea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.
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
Medea vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medea cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 182%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $679 per month in Medea and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Medea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $141 there versus $716 in Phuket.
Is eating out cheaper in Medea or in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Medea and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Medea and in Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $453 in Medea and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Medea about 65% cheaper.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Medea or in Phuket?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Medea, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Medea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Medea or Phuket more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Medea – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Medea or Phuket?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Medea. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.