Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nicosia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,890 in Nicosia, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Nicosia
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Nicosia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Nicosia

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,890

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,890 per month in Nicosia vs $1,190 in Phuket, rent included.

Nicosia $1,890
Phuket $1,190

A couple spends around $2,901 per month in Nicosia vs $2,006 in Phuket, rent included.

Nicosia $2,901
Phuket $2,006

A family of three spends $3,912 per month in Nicosia vs $2,822 in Phuket, rent included.

Nicosia $3,912
Phuket $2,822

Nicosia costs about 59% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nicosia sits 41% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.02 €15.19

$4.35 ฿146

291.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.4

$32.45 ฿1,087

108.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 €7.91

$8.42 ฿282

5.23%

Cappuccino

$3.61 €3.23

$2.81 ฿94.0

28.47%

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

$2.35 €2.10

$0.87 ฿29.29

170.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.46 ฿15.39

89.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.38 €3.91

$2.59 ฿86.6

69.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$3.64 ฿122

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.71 ฿57.2

7.02%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.45 ฿48.42

38.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.56 ฿52.3

89.10%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.34

$2.10 ฿70.3

131.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.37 €11.93

$19.53 ฿654

-31.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.09 €8.11

$3.40 ฿114

167.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 €11.68

$11.14 ฿373

17.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 €3.01

$2.83 ฿94.8

19.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.62 ฿54.3

30.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.22 ฿74.5

14.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 €3.08

$2.15 ฿71.9

60.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.49 ฿49.95

27.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.33 ฿44.40

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 €0.88

$1.07 ฿35.72

-8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.51 ฿17.01

123.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.12

$4.38 ฿147

31.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.82

$18.77 ฿629

-59.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.74 ฿58.3

-5.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.51

$2.78 ฿92.9

1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.17 ฿72.6

22.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.82 €40.00

$22.28 ฿746

101.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.18 €5.51

$3.02 ฿101

104.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.06 ฿35.43

79.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.09 €39.35

$3.71 ฿124

1088.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.43 ฿47.88

23.08%

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

$32.4K €28.9K

$26.3K ฿882.1K

22.99%

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

$32.8K €29.3K

$26.2K ฿877.3K

25.21%

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

$209 €186

$96.7 ฿3,236

116.18%

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

$20.22 €18.04

$11.41 ฿382

77.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.19 €29.62

$17.11 ฿573

93.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.3 €65.4

$52.8 ฿1,768

38.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.86 €16.83

$11.07 ฿371

70.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.16

$7.65 ฿256

48.76%

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

$516 €461

$555 ฿18.6K

-6.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,230 €8,237

$11.3K ฿377.7K

-18.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.6

$63.4 ฿2,123

60.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.7 €49.71

$28.61 ฿958

94.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 €88.0

$96.7 ฿3,238

1.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 €103

$88.6 ฿2,967

30.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 €712

$735 ฿24.6K

8.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 €618

$458 ฿15.3K

51.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,710 €1,526

$2,102 ฿70.4K

-18.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,193

$1,187 ฿39.7K

12.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,098 €2,765

$3,493 ฿116.9K

-11.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,297 €2,050

$2,491 ฿83.4K

-7.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,901 €1,697

$501 ฿16.8K

279.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.57

-19.57%

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

Last update for Nicosia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nicosia

$692 37.5%

Phuket

$458 38.1% 33.8% $234

Groceries & Markets

Nicosia

$307 16.6%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 12.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nicosia

$262 14.2%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 52.3% $137

Eating Out

Nicosia

$252 13.6%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 52.6% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Nicosia

$167 9.1%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 25.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Nicosia

$96 5.2%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 29.1% $28

Getting Around

Nicosia

$71 3.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 44.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $798 in Nicosia versus $735 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 280% higher in Nicosia, 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 $68.0 in Nicosia versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $307 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Nicosia

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

14:21 2:21 PM

4 h ahead of Nicosia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

310,355 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Nicosia Phuket 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Nicosia
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

Nicosia vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,890 in Nicosia, $1,190 in Phuket – roughly 59% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,835 per month in Nicosia and $1,785 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $516 per month in Nicosia and $555 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Nicosia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,190, than in Nicosia at $1,890. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nicosia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,190 in Phuket to $1,890 in Nicosia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nicosia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.