Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nikaia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,357 in Nikaia, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Nikaia
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Nikaia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Nikaia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,357

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,357 in Nikaia versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Nikaia $1,357
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,063 in Nikaia versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Nikaia $2,063
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,769 in Nikaia versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Nikaia $2,769
Phuket $2,867

Living in Nikaia is roughly 12% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nikaia is 1% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.08 €9.84

$4.58 ฿153

141.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 €52.3

$32.48 ฿1,085

81.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.07 €8.05

$8.55 ฿286

6.08%

Cappuccino

$4.19 €3.72

$2.72 ฿90.9

54.04%

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

$2.31 €2.05

$0.94 ฿31.23

145.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$0.49 ฿16.38

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.35 €3.86

$2.59 ฿86.5

67.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 €4.36

$3.83 ฿128

27.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.74 ฿58.0

-8.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.43 ฿47.80

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.53 ฿51.0

52.29%

Eggs

$4.96 €4.41

$2.17 ฿72.6

128.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 €10.26

$19.15 ฿640

-39.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 €8.66

$3.30 ฿110

195.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 €12.82

$11.14 ฿372

29.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.95 ฿98.5

-25.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.68 ฿56.1

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.30 ฿76.8

-41.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.13 ฿71.2

-7.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.53 ฿51.1

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.36 ฿45.52

-14.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.12 ฿37.42

-18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.55 ฿18.23

54.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.02 €4.46

$4.26 ฿142

17.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 €5.82

$18.19 ฿608

-63.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.74 ฿58.2

-2.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.79 ฿93.3

-19.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.99 €0.88

$2.22 ฿74.0

-55.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.91 €39.88

$22.06 ฿737

103.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.40 €3.91

$2.91 ฿97.3

51.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.01 ฿33.77

-2.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.83 €12.28

$3.83 ฿128

261.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.49 ฿49.82

49.66%

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

$27.9K €24.8K

$26.7K ฿891.1K

4.53%

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

$23.4K €20.8K

$26.7K ฿892.1K

-12.30%

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

$163 €145

$99.4 ฿3,319

64.53%

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

$24.06 €21.37

$11.28 ฿377

113.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.08 €24.93

$17.36 ฿580

61.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.04 €40.00

$52.3 ฿1,746

-13.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.93 €21.25

$10.85 ฿362

120.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.87 €7.88

$7.57 ฿253

17.17%

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

$474 €421

$558 ฿18.6K

-15.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,525 €4,018

$11.5K ฿383.7K

-60.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 €61.1

$62.9 ฿2,100

9.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.86 €31.85

$28.58 ฿955

25.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 €67.1

$96.1 ฿3,211

-21.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €95.8

$88.1 ฿2,941

22.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$452 €401

$729 ฿24.4K

-38.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$413 €367

$460 ฿15.4K

-10.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 €637

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-65.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 €556

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-48.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,007 €2,671

$3,459 ฿115.5K

-13.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 €1,755

$2,489 ฿83.1K

-20.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.36

5.57

-21.72%

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

Last update for Nikaia: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nikaia

$413 30.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 11.5% $47

Groceries & Markets

Nikaia

$269 19.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 0.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nikaia

$216 15.9%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 40.6% $88

Eating Out

Nikaia

$209 15.4%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 42% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Nikaia

$130 9.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 4.3% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nikaia

$63 4.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 7.4% $4.6

Getting Around

Nikaia

$58 4.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 33.1% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $452 in Nikaia and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $59.0 in Nikaia vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Nikaia

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:22 3:22 PM

19:22 7:22 PM

4 h ahead of Nikaia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,430

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Nikaia Phuket 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nikaia
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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

Nikaia vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,036 in Nikaia and $1,811 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: $452 in Nikaia versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,357 per month in Nikaia versus $1,207 in Phuket – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 104% less than in Nikaia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,357 in Nikaia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Nikaia. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nikaia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nikaia and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Nikaia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.