Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Alba

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,640 in Alba, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Alba
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Alba Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Alba

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,640

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Alba

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Alba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,640 in Alba, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Alba $1,640

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,569 in Alba, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Alba $2,569

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,498 in Alba, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Alba $3,498

Phuket is about 22% cheaper than Alba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Alba is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.40 €20.12

-80.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$90.7 €81.4

-64.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.17 €11.83

-33.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.08 €1.87

36.06%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.77 €3.39

-76.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.87 €1.68

-73.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.64 €5.07

-54.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.87 €6.17

-46.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.69 €1.52

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$3.22 €2.89

-54.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.68 €3.31

-59.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.88 €4.38

-57.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$22.81 €20.49

-16.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$14.73 €13.23

-77.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$22.87 €20.55

-52.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.94 €2.64

-0.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.34 €2.10

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.29 €2.95

-31.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.22 €3.79

-50.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.35 €2.11

-35.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.99 €1.79

-30.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.81 €1.63

-40.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.61 €0.55

-14.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.56 €5.89

-35.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.46 €8.49

98.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$2.02 €1.81

-9.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.40 €2.16

18.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$7.84 €7.04

-61.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$2.27 €2.04

-55.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$65.3 €58.7

-94.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.09 €1.87

-29.67%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$36.4K €32.7K

-26.44%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$38.0K €34.1K

-29.71%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$254 €229

-62.13%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.00 €7.19

40.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.01 €26.06

-41.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.35 €10.19

-33.92%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$927 €832

-48.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$18.9K €17.0K

-40.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$102 €91.6

-38.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$50.6 €45.41

-43.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$117 €105

-19.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$168 €151

-49.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$548 €492

30.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$385 €346

27.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$719 €646

168.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$615 €553

132.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$3,013 €2,707

38.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$2,622 €2,355

-80.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.18

75.16%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Alba: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Alba

$385 23.5% 21.6% $106

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Alba

$416 25.4% 56.4% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Alba

$291 17.8% 134% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Alba

$197 12% 61.7% $75

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Alba

$308 18.8% 153% $186

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Alba

$23 * 1.4% 72.4% $60

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Alba

$19 * 1.2% 72.8% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $548 in Alba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alba are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $91 in Alba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $416 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Alba

🕒 Local time

03:26 3:26 AM

21:26 9:26 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

29,910

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Alba 9,420 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Alba

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

Phuket vs Alba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Alba is pricier by about 28%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,460 in Alba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $548 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $91 in Alba. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Alba, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Alba at $1,640. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alba 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 $1,278 in Phuket to $1,640 in Alba. 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, Alba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.