Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Olbia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,744 in Olbia, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Olbia
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Olbia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Olbia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,744

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,744 in Olbia versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Olbia $1,744
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,589 in Olbia versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Olbia $2,589
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,435 in Olbia versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Olbia $3,435
Phuket $2,867

Living in Olbia is roughly 44% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Olbia is 29% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.46 €19.98

$4.58 ฿153

390.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 €75.7

$32.48 ฿1,086

161.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 €8.82

$8.55 ฿286

16.02%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.73

$2.72 ฿91.0

-28.31%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$0.94 ฿31.25

232.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.32

$0.49 ฿16.39

204.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 €2.95

$2.59 ฿86.6

28.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.83 ฿128

-10.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.74 ฿58.1

-12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.43 ฿47.82

45.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.53 ฿51.0

71.24%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.25

$2.17 ฿72.7

68.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.50 €14.68

$19.15 ฿640

-13.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.44 €10.17

$3.30 ฿110

246.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.59 €15.64

$11.14 ฿372

57.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.95 ฿98.5

-26.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.68 ฿56.1

7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 €2.04

$2.30 ฿76.8

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.13 ฿71.3

33.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.53 ฿51.1

-6.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.36 ฿45.55

-0.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.12 ฿37.44

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 €0.35

$0.55 ฿18.24

-29.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 €6.00

$4.26 ฿142

58.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.33 €7.41

$18.19 ฿608

-54.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.74 ฿58.2

-5.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.79 ฿93.3

-41.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.22 ฿74.1

-38.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.47 €14.65

$22.06 ฿737

-25.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.69 €8.62

$2.91 ฿97.3

232.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.01 ฿33.79

47.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.53 €28.05

$3.83 ฿128

723.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.49 ฿49.85

33.56%

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

$35.6K €31.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

33.62%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

32.03%

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

$155 €138

$99.4 ฿3,321

55.90%

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

$8.70 €7.74

$11.28 ฿377

-22.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.90 €23.04

$17.36 ฿580

49.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.71 €32.66

$52.3 ฿1,747

-29.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.54 €24.50

$10.85 ฿362

153.82%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 €9.90

$7.57 ฿253

47.03%

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

$322 €286

$558 ฿18.7K

-42.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,121 €7,223

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-29.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 €84.5

$62.9 ฿2,102

51.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.41 €37.72

$28.58 ฿955

48.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 €80.8

$96.1 ฿3,213

-5.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$88.1 ฿2,943

34.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 €804

$729 ฿24.4K

23.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$714 €635

$460 ฿15.4K

55.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 €1,216

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-34.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$936 €833

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-23.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,267 €2,906

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-5.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,628 €2,337

$2,489 ฿83.2K

5.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,922 €1,710

$493 ฿16.5K

289.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

5.57

-41.29%

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

Last update for Olbia: 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

Olbia

$714 41%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 35.6% $254

Groceries & Markets

Olbia

$312 17.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 14.2% $44

Eating Out

Olbia

$275 15.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 55.8% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Olbia

$190 10.9%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 32.5% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Olbia

$156 8.9%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 20.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Olbia

$59 3.4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 14.3% $8.5

Getting Around

Olbia

$39 2.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 0.4% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $903 in Olbia and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Olbia pays 290% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Olbia vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $312 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Olbia

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

07:32 7:32 AM

5 h ahead of Olbia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,512

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

Olbia Phuket 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Olbia
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

Olbia vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 44% lower than in Olbia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 290% higher in Olbia, 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: $903 in Olbia versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $322 in Olbia versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Olbia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,744 in Olbia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Olbia. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,207 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Olbia 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 44% less than in Olbia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.