Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Neum and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Neum: $923 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Neum
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Neum Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Neum

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$923

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $923 in Neum versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Neum $923
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,388 in Neum versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Neum $1,388
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,852 in Neum versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Neum $1,852
Phuket $3,154

Living in Neum costs roughly 28% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Neum 32% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.00 BAM 8.77

$4.47 ฿151

11.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.00 BAM 54.4

$32.41 ฿1,094

-4.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.68 BAM 9.97

$8.81 ฿297

-35.53%

Cappuccino

$1.81 BAM 3.18

$2.83 ฿95.5

-36.04%

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

$1.94 BAM 3.41

$0.87 ฿29.43

122.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 BAM 2.19

$0.49 ฿16.67

155.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 BAM 4.56

$2.56 ฿86.4

1.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 BAM 3.87

$3.68 ฿124

-39.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 BAM 2.04

$1.66 ฿56.0

-30.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 BAM 1.58

$1.46 ฿49.35

-38.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 BAM 3.66

$1.50 ฿50.6

38.67%

Eggs

$2.59 BAM 4.55

$2.09 ฿70.5

23.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 BAM 13.25

$19.07 ฿644

-60.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 BAM 12.44

$3.30 ฿111

114.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.69 BAM 18.78

$10.91 ฿368

-2.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 BAM 1.93

$2.93 ฿99.0

-62.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 BAM 2.86

$1.69 ฿57.1

-3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 BAM 2.45

$2.25 ฿75.8

-38.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 BAM 2.03

$2.08 ฿70.1

-44.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 BAM 1.73

$1.51 ฿51.0

-35.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 BAM 1.74

$1.38 ฿46.56

-28.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 BAM 1.36

$1.07 ฿35.99

-28.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 BAM 1.18

$0.52 ฿17.52

28.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 BAM 6.80

$4.20 ฿142

-7.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.11 BAM 7.22

$18.79 ฿634

-78.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 BAM 1.39

$1.82 ฿61.5

-56.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 BAM 1.56

$2.84 ฿95.9

-68.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 BAM 2.09

$1.45 ฿49.03

-17.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 BAM 99.6

$56.7 ฿1,913

0.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.75 BAM 3.07

$3.02 ฿102

-42.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 BAM 1.05

$1.02 ฿34.36

-41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 BAM 10.19

$3.69 ฿125

57.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 BAM 2.74

$1.47 ฿49.81

6.12%

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

$29.8K BAM 52.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

11.34%

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

$21.4K BAM 37.5K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-19.93%

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

$135 BAM 237

$96.4 ฿3,254

40.28%

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

$17.71 BAM 31.10

$11.26 ฿380

57.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.81 BAM 45.32

$16.85 ฿569

53.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.44 BAM 58.7

$67.2 ฿2,270

-50.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.73 BAM 22.36

$10.73 ฿362

18.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 BAM 12.18

$7.50 ฿253

-7.60%

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

$195 BAM 342

$476 ฿16.1K

-59.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,298 BAM 4,035

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-79.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 BAM 101

$62.4 ฿2,106

-7.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.40 BAM 56.9

$28.41 ฿959

14.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 BAM 152

$94.3 ฿3,184

-8.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 BAM 142

$85.8 ฿2,898

-5.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$311 BAM 546

$716 ฿24.2K

-56.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 BAM 387

$491 ฿16.6K

-55.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 BAM 921

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-72.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 BAM 615

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-75.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,299 BAM 4,038

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-44.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,585 BAM 2,784

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-47.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$872 BAM 1,531

$502 ฿17.0K

73.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

5.57

-47.94%

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

Last update for Neum: 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

Neum

$220 23.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 123% $270

Groceries & Markets

Neum

$186 20.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 43.1% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Neum

$179 19.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 30.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Neum

$116 12.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.2% $6.1

Eating Out

Neum

$109 11.8%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.8% $13

Getting Around

Neum

$66 7.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 6.6% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Neum

$47 5.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 73.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $311 in Neum and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Neum pays 74% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31 in Neum vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $266 per month, with Neum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Neum

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

04:49 4:49 AM

6 h ahead of Neum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

79,308

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.569 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BAM – Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (KM)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BAM (1 BAM = 0.569 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 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 BAM in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Neum Phuket 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Neum
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

Neum vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $923 in Neum and $1,278 in Phuket, so Neum is about 28% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 74% higher in Neum, 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: $311 in Neum versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $195 in Neum versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Neum – a meal for two runs $31 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $923 in Neum versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Neum but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Neum 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, Neum and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.