Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pau and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,452 in Pau, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Pau despite lower rent and utilities.

70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
Learn more

Pau Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,452

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,452 per month in Pau vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Pau $1,452
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,274 per month in Pau vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Pau $2,274
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,097 per month in Pau vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Pau $3,097
Phuket $3,154

Pau costs about 14% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pau sits 7% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €15.04

$4.47 ฿151

275.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.82 €42.85

$32.41 ฿1,094

47.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.19

$8.81 ฿297

29.06%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.43

$2.83 ฿95.4

35.34%

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

$2.65 €2.37

$0.87 ฿29.42

204.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.41

$0.49 ฿16.66

220.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 €5.16

$2.56 ฿86.3

124.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 €3.45

$3.68 ฿124

4.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.66 ฿56.0

-31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.46 ฿49.32

54.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.50 ฿50.5

4.00%

Eggs

$5.57 €4.99

$2.09 ฿70.5

166.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.77 €18.61

$19.07 ฿643

8.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.81 €10.58

$3.30 ฿111

257.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.35 €21.82

$10.91 ฿368

123.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 €3.36

$2.93 ฿98.9

27.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.69 ฿57.0

28.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$2.25 ฿75.8

-8.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.88

$2.08 ฿70.1

54.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.51 ฿51.0

13.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.38 ฿46.54

60.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.07 ฿35.97

16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.52 ฿17.51

30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 €11.43

$4.20 ฿142

203.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 €8.98

$18.79 ฿634

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.45 €3.99

$1.82 ฿61.5

144.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 €5.06

$2.84 ฿95.9

98.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.45 ฿49.00

-6.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.00 €30.47

$56.7 ฿1,912

-39.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.47 ฿49.78

38.10%

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

$34.0K €30.5K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

27.07%

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

$36.5K €32.7K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

36.61%

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

$86.0 €77.0

$96.4 ฿3,252

-10.77%

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

$30.75 €27.56

$11.26 ฿380

173.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.92 €29.50

$16.85 ฿569

95.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.89 €37.53

$67.2 ฿2,269

-37.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 €10.83

$7.50 ฿253

61.20%

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

$394 €353

$476 ฿16.1K

-17.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,474 €4,009

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-60.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €99.1

$62.4 ฿2,105

77.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 €30.64

$28.41 ฿959

20.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 €80.8

$94.3 ฿3,182

-4.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 €80.6

$85.8 ฿2,896

4.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €663

$716 ฿24.2K

3.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 €353

$491 ฿16.6K

-19.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 €965

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-44.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 €619

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-51.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,478 €2,220

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-40.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,000 €1,793

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-34.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,074 €2,755

$502 ฿17.0K

512.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

5.57

-31.60%

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

Last update for Pau: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pau

$394 27.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 24.7% $97

Groceries & Markets

Pau

$389 26.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 31.6% $123

Eating Out

Pau

$268 18.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 54.5% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pau

$150 10.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 16.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Pau

$146 10.1%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 16.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Pau

$66 4.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 24.5% $16

Getting Around

Pau

$39 * 2.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 79% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $740 in Pau versus $716 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 in Pau are about 6.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Pau versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Pau

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

12:19 12:19 PM

6 h ahead of Pau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,066

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pau Phuket 10,110 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Pau
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

Pau vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,452 in Pau, $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 12% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,178 per month in Pau and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $740 in Pau and $716 in Phuket. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Pau, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Pau and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,452 in Pau. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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