Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Athienou

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,686 in Athienou, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Athienou, Cyprus
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Athienou
🇨🇾 Cyprus
$1,686
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Athienou

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,686 in Athienou.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Athienou $1,686

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,591 in Athienou.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Athienou $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,497 in Athienou.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Athienou $3,497

Living in Phuket costs roughly 24% less than in Athienou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Athienou is 24% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Athienou
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$13.33 €11.90
-66.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,092
$52.3 €46.68
-38.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$7.95 €7.10
10.82%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.3
$3.69 €3.30
-23.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.37
$1.65 €1.48
-47.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.64
$1.04 €0.93
-52.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.2
$3.27 €2.92
-21.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$4.67 €4.17
-21.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Athienou
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.63 €1.46
1.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.25
$2.00 €1.78
-27.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$2.99 €2.67
-49.83%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.4
$4.18 €3.73
-50.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿642
$13.22 €11.81
44.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$8.74 €7.81
-62.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$11.66 €10.42
-6.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.7
$2.60 €2.32
12.69%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$2.35 €2.10
-28.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$1.66 €1.48
35.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$2.58 €2.31
-19.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$1.42 €1.27
6.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.47
$1.13 €1.01
22.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.91
$0.88 €0.79
21.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.49
$1.11 €0.99
-53.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$5.75 €5.14
-26.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿633
$7.95 €7.10
136.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$1.89 €1.69
-3.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.7
$2.53 €2.26
12.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Athienou
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$2.33 €2.08
-37.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,909
$43.99 €39.29
28.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$7.05 €6.29
-57.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.29
$2.29 €2.04
-55.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
$22.42 €20.02
-83.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.70
$1.68 €1.50
-12.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿902.4K
$31.7K €28.3K
-15.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿899.5K
$31.0K €27.7K
-13.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Athienou
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,247
$179 €160
-46.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$17.98 €16.06
-37.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$30.11 €26.89
-44.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Athienou
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,266
$69.8 €62.4
-3.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿361
$23.56 €21.04
-54.46%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$11.08 €9.90
-32.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Athienou
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.0K
$382 €341
24.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.6K
$7,361 €6,575
53.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Athienou
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,102
$66.0 €58.9
-5.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿957
$31.96 €28.55
-11.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,178
$69.4 €62.0
35.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,892
$91.7 €81.9
-6.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Athienou
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$695 €621
3.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.5K
$683 €610
-28.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿64.9K
$1,584 €1,415
21.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.2K
$1,287 €1,149
11.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.7K
$3,572 €3,191
16.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.6K
$2,493 €2,227
22.13%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Athienou
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$2,075 €1,854
-75.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.93
41.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Athienou: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Athienou
$683 39.2% $192
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Athienou
$284 6.6% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Athienou
$227 82.6% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Athienou
$117 4.4% $5.3
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Athienou
$211 73.5% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Athienou
$92 11.9% $9.8
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Athienou
$72 1.7% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $695 in Athienou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athienou pays about 4.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $52 in Athienou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $284 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇨🇾 Athienou
🕒 Local time
08:01 8:01 AM
03:01 3:01 AM
5 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
5,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Athienou 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Athienou

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 Athienou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Phuket and in Athienou?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,686 in Athienou, so Phuket is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 76% lower in Phuket. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Phuket and in Athienou?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $695 in Athienou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city is more expensive overall: Phuket or Athienou?
All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,686 in Athienou – Phuket is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How do commuting costs compare in Phuket and in Athienou?
A monthly transit pass in Athienou runs roughly 22% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,686 in Athienou, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Athienou. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Phuket and Athienou?
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.
How do I decide between Phuket and Athienou?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Athienou on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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