Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Arona

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,583 in Arona, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Arona
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Arona Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Arona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,583

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Arona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,583 in Arona.

Phuket $1,278
Arona $1,583

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,500 in Arona.

Phuket $2,216
Arona $2,500

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,418 in Arona.

Phuket $3,154
Arona $3,418

Living in Phuket costs roughly 19% less than in Arona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Arona is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.68 €14.96

-73.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$78.4 €70.3

-58.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.85 €7.94

-0.45%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.67 €1.49

69.46%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.88 €2.58

-69.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.14 €1.02

-57.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.89 €3.49

-34.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.57 €5.00

-33.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.37 €1.23

21.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.18 €1.96

-33.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.02 €3.61

-62.69%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.96 €2.65

-29.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$15.11 €13.56

26.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$14.04 €12.59

-76.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.07 €13.52

-27.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.81 €2.52

4.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.68 €1.51

0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.13 €2.81

-28.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.23 €2.00

-6.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.87 €1.68

-19.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.84 €1.65

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.66 €1.49

-35.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.66 €0.59

-21.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.79 €6.09

-38.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.51 €4.05

316.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.93 €0.83

95.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.63 €1.47

74.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.87 €1.67

-22.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$37.52 €33.65

51.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.54 €4.97

-45.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.87 €1.68

-45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$32.01 €28.71

-88.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.11 €1.89

-30.33%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$36.1K €32.4K

-25.79%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$34.7K €31.2K

-23.15%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$194 €174

-50.25%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.93 €10.70

-5.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$27.27 €24.46

-38.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$58.3 €52.3

15.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$20.22 €18.14

-46.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.28 €11.91

-43.52%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$895 €803

-46.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$19.5K €17.5K

-42.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$89.4 €80.2

-30.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$37.29 €33.45

-23.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$106 €95.2

-11.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$130 €117

-34.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$680 €610

5.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$502 €451

-2.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,310 €1,175

47.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$903 €810

58.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,697 €2,419

54.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,817 €1,630

67.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.65

52.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Arona: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Arona

$502 31.8% 2.4% $12

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Arona

$313 19.8% 17.5% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Arona

$233 14.7% 87.1% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Arona

$163 10.3% 34% $41

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Arona

$227 14.3% 86.2% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Arona

$85 5.4% 3.2% $2.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Arona

$60 3.8% 15.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $680 in Arona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $78 in Arona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $313 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Arona

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

22:40 10:40 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

14,310

💱 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Arona 9,370 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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 Arona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,374 in Arona to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $680 in Arona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $895 in Arona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,583 in Arona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Arona. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Phuket and Arona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.