Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Arklow

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,554 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
127

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Arklow

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 Arklow actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,554 in Arklow, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Arklow $2,554

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,690 in Arklow, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Arklow $3,690

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,827 in Arklow, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Arklow $4,827

Phuket is about 50% cheaper than Arklow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Arklow is 88% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.19 €19.88

-79.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$88.4 €79.3

-63.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.33 €10.15

-22.24%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$4.20 €3.76

-32.62%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.95 €2.64

-70.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$2.22 €1.99

-77.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.38 €4.82

-52.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.37 €4.81

-31.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.71 €1.54

-2.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$2.27 €2.04

-35.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.86 €1.67

-19.35%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.48 €4.02

-53.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$14.23 €12.75

34.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.88 €11.54

-74.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.78 €15.03

-34.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.32 €2.97

-11.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$3.00 €2.69

-43.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.35 €3.01

-32.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.72 €4.23

-55.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.36 €2.11

-36.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.82 €1.63

-24.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.40 €1.26

-23.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$2.10 €1.88

-75.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$19.86 €17.79

-78.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.35 €11.96

40.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$4.06 €3.64

-55.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.58 €3.21

-20.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$2.27 €2.04

-36.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.18 €4.64

-41.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.54 €1.38

-33.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$32.70 €29.30

-88.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$2.14 €1.92

-31.31%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$38.3K €34.3K

-30.15%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$37.5K €33.6K

-28.86%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$244 €219

-60.55%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$21.79 €19.53

-48.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$55.4 €49.62

-69.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$59.4 €53.2

13.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.29 €11.91

-43.57%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,077 €965

-55.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$5,279 €4,731

113.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$95.8 €85.8

-34.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$43.42 €38.90

-34.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$106 €95.2

-11.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$121 €108

-29.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,484 €1,330

-51.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,250 €1,120

-60.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,796 €2,505

-31.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,909 €1,711

-25.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,844 €3,445

-20.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$4,869 €4,363

-89.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.14

34.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Arklow: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Arklow

$1.2K 48.9% 155% $759

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Arklow

$390 15.3% 46.4% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Arklow

$321 12.6% 158% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Arklow

$165 6.5% 35.3% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Arklow

$320 12.5% 163% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Arklow

$86 3.4% 4.5% $3.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Arklow

$22 * 0.9% 68.9% $49

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 $1,484 in Arklow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Arklow are about 9.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $88 in Arklow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $390 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇪 Arklow

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

05:19 5:19 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

13,399

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Arklow 10,270 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Arklow

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 Arklow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $2,554 in Arklow – Phuket comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,831 in Arklow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,484 in Arklow.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $88 in Arklow. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Arklow, 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 Arklow at $2,554. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.