Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Novi Sad and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,393 in Novi Sad, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
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Novi Sad Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,393

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,393 in Novi Sad versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Novi Sad $1,393
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,154 in Novi Sad versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Novi Sad $2,154
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,915 in Novi Sad versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Novi Sad $2,915
Phuket $3,154

Living in Novi Sad is roughly 9% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Novi Sad is 2% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.11 RSD 1,065

$4.47 ฿151

126.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 RSD 5,286

$32.41 ฿1,094

54.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.06 RSD 1,271

$8.81 ฿297

36.89%

Cappuccino

$2.65 RSD 279

$2.83 ฿95.5

-6.36%

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

$2.37 RSD 249

$0.87 ฿29.43

172.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 RSD 192

$0.49 ฿16.67

271.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 RSD 309

$2.56 ฿86.4

14.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 RSD 392

$3.68 ฿124

1.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RSD 146

$1.66 ฿56.0

-16.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 RSD 98.1

$1.46 ฿49.35

-36.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.65 RSD 279

$1.50 ฿50.6

76.67%

Eggs

$2.67 RSD 282

$2.09 ฿70.5

27.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.46 RSD 1,419

$19.07 ฿644

-29.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 RSD 760

$3.30 ฿111

118.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.06 RSD 1,481

$10.91 ฿368

28.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 RSD 185

$2.93 ฿99.0

-39.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 RSD 200

$1.69 ฿57.1

12.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RSD 175

$2.25 ฿75.8

-26.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 RSD 267

$2.08 ฿70.1

22.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 RSD 105

$1.51 ฿51.0

-33.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 RSD 72.9

$1.38 ฿46.56

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 RSD 100

$1.07 ฿35.99

-11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RSD 72.0

$0.52 ฿17.52

30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 RSD 495

$4.20 ฿142

11.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.79 RSD 821

$18.79 ฿634

-58.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 RSD 91.5

$1.82 ฿61.5

-52.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 RSD 243

$2.84 ฿95.9

-19.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 RSD 99.0

$1.45 ฿49.03

-35.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.22 RSD 2,552

$56.7 ฿1,913

-57.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 RSD 243

$3.02 ฿102

-23.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 RSD 96.8

$1.02 ฿34.36

-9.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.42 RSD 1,098

$3.69 ฿125

182.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RSD 191

$1.47 ฿49.81

23.13%

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

$30.1K RSD 3.2M

$26.8K ฿904.3K

12.48%

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

$23.8K RSD 2.5M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-11.02%

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

$224 RSD 23.6K

$96.4 ฿3,254

132.77%

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

$20.29 RSD 2,137

$11.26 ฿380

80.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.84 RSD 3,565

$16.85 ฿569

100.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.97 RSD 3,685

$67.2 ฿2,270

-47.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 RSD 1,171

$10.73 ฿362

3.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.88 RSD 725

$7.50 ฿253

-8.27%

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

$364 RSD 38.4K

$476 ฿16.1K

-23.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,540 RSD 794.4K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-33.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 RSD 12.3K

$62.4 ฿2,106

87.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.36 RSD 4,674

$28.41 ฿959

56.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 RSD 14.2K

$94.3 ฿3,184

43.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 RSD 13.1K

$85.8 ฿2,898

44.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 RSD 53.6K

$716 ฿24.2K

-28.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 RSD 43.3K

$491 ฿16.6K

-16.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 RSD 108.9K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-46.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$824 RSD 86.8K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-42.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,595 RSD 378.8K

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-13.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,621 RSD 276.2K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-13.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,230 RSD 129.6K

$502 ฿17.0K

144.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.17

5.57

-7.18%

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

Last update for Novi Sad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Novi Sad

$411 29.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 19.5% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Novi Sad

$278 20%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 55.3% $154

Groceries & Markets

Novi Sad

$244 17.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 9.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Novi Sad

$189 13.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35.6% $67

Eating Out

Novi Sad

$188 13.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35.2% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Novi Sad

$49 3.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 68.7% $34

Getting Around

Novi Sad

$35 2.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 102% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $509 in Novi Sad and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Novi Sad pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $50 in Novi Sad vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $266, with Novi Sad cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

01:49 1:49 AM

6 h ahead of Novi Sad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,438

79,308

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 105 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.49 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 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 RSD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Novi Sad Phuket 8,490 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Novi Sad
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

Novi Sad vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and utilities. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Novi Sad is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $509 in Novi Sad versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $50 in Novi Sad. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,393 per month in Novi Sad versus $1,278 in Phuket – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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, Novi Sad 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Novi Sad on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.