Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bar

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Bar: $1,278 and $1,244 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Bar
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Bar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bar

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,244 in Bar.

Phuket $1,278
Bar $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,947 in Bar.

Phuket $2,216
Bar $1,947

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,651 in Bar.

Phuket $3,154
Bar $2,651

Living in Phuket is roughly 3% more expensive than in Bar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Bar 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.32 €10.17

-60.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$47.24 €42.43

-31.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.88 €8.87

-10.83%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.75 €2.47

2.91%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.14 €1.92

-59.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.88 €1.69

-73.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.83 €2.54

-9.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.13 €2.81

17.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.18 €1.06

40.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.28 €1.15

14.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.59 €2.33

-42.08%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.16 €2.83

-33.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$8.60 €7.73

121.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.83 €7.03

-57.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.49 €10.32

-5.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.37 €1.23

113.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.98 €1.78

-14.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.57 €1.41

43.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.66 €2.39

-21.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.98 €0.88

54.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.01 €0.91

36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.11 €1.90

-49.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.91 €0.82

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.45 €4.00

-5.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.88 €7.08

138.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.88 €0.79

106.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.32 €1.19

115.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.27 €2.04

-36.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$22.57 €20.27

151.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.18 €1.96

38.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.14 €1.02

-10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$13.83 €12.42

-73.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.70 €1.53

-13.53%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$31.1K €27.9K

-13.88%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$28.5K €25.6K

-6.49%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$110 €98.8

-12.42%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$15.95 €14.33

-29.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$29.70 €26.68

-43.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$43.49 €39.07

54.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.38 €12.92

-25.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.36 €3.91

72.02%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$314 €282

51.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,979 €6,269

61.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$62.2 €55.9

0.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$28.86 €25.92

-1.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$94.7 €85.1

-0.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$113 €102

-24.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$630 €566

13.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$440 €395

11.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,169 €1,050

64.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$823 €740

73.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,915 €2,618

43.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,132 €1,915

42.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$987 €887

-49.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bar: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bar

$440 35.3% 10.5% $51

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bar

$233 18.7% 12.7% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bar

$156 12.5% 25.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bar

$134 10.8% 10.3% $13

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bar

$190 15.3% 55.9% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bar

$52 4.2% 36.5% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bar

$40 3.2% 44% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $630 in Bar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bar pays 97% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $47 in Bar. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $233, with Bar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇪 Bar

🕒 Local time

00:40 12:40 AM

18:40 6:40 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

17,727

💱 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

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Between locations

Phuket Bar 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bar

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 Bar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bar wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 49% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $630 in Bar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $314 in Bar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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