Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bečej

For one person, living is cheaper in Bečej: $843 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Bečej, Serbia
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Bečej
🇷🇸 Serbia
$843
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bečej

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $843 in Bečej.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Bečej $843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,250 in Bečej.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Bečej $1,250

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $1,657 in Bečej.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Bečej $1,657

Living in Phuket is roughly 53% more expensive than in Bečej, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Bečej 38% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Bečej
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿147
$6.51 RSD 680
-32.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,085
$33.92 RSD 3,541
-4.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿292
$9.41 RSD 982
-7.55%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.5
$1.12 RSD 117
142.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.25
$1.47 RSD 153
-36.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.78
$0.78 RSD 81.8
-35.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.0
$1.45 RSD 151
74.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$1.84 RSD 193
97.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Bečej
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.4
$0.97 RSD 101
79.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.73
$1.11 RSD 116
30.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$1.47 RSD 154
2.04%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.0
$2.02 RSD 211
7.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿641
$9.13 RSD 953
109.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$6.79 RSD 709
-49.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿366
$6.93 RSD 723
57.29%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.8
$0.94 RSD 97.9
212.77%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.8
$1.75 RSD 183
-3.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.7
$1.54 RSD 161
42.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.4
$1.93 RSD 201
9.84%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿48.99
$0.66 RSD 68.8
121.21%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.95
$0.32 RSD 32.98
328.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.14
$0.70 RSD 73.3
54.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.32
$0.60 RSD 62.4
-8.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$3.87 RSD 404
14.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿613
$3.92 RSD 409
365.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.5
$0.70 RSD 73.2
152.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.8
$0.92 RSD 95.8
213.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Bečej
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.62
$0.81 RSD 84.8
79.01%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,844
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.8
$1.95 RSD 204
-22.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.06
$0.79 RSD 82.6
-1.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$9.63 RSD 1,005
-60.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.96
$1.88 RSD 197
-20.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿902.9K
$30.8K RSD 3.2M
-12.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿884.9K
$23.8K RSD 2.5M
10.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Bečej
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,285
$62.7 RSD 6,541
56.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿379
$9.56 RSD 998
18.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿577
$22.96 RSD 2,397
-25.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Bečej
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,295
$25.12 RSD 2,622
172.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿367
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$8.31 RSD 867
-10.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Bečej
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.8K
$454 RSD 47.4K
16.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿630.9K
$12.4K RSD 1.3M
51.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Bečej
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,072
$112 RSD 11.7K
-45.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿949
$45.87 RSD 4,788
-38.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,225
$62.4 RSD 6,516
53.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,916
$113 RSD 11.8K
-23.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Bečej
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.2K
$308 RSD 32.1K
134.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.1K
$260 RSD 27.1K
95.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.5K
$429 RSD 44.7K
354.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿46.9K
$315 RSD 32.9K
343.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿140.8K
$2,189 RSD 228.5K
91.54%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.8K
$1,798 RSD 187.7K
83.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Bečej
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.5K
$516 RSD 53.9K
-4.77%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.5
23.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bečej: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Bečej
$260 48.9% $249
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Bečej
$174 34.9% $93
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Bečej
$95 24.6% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Bečej
$150 22.3% $27
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Bečej
$114 4.9% $5.9
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Bečej
$42 49.8% $41
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Bečej
$9.2 * 86.1% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $308 in Bečej. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bečej pays 5% 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 $34 in Bečej. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $174, with Bečej cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇷🇸 Bečej
🕒 Local time
11:04 11:04 AM
05:04 5:04 AM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
19,492
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 118 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.51 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Bečej 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Bečej

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 Bečej: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bečej cheaper than Phuket?
Bečej is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Bečej?
On paper, salaries run 5% 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Bečej?
Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $308 in Bečej. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Bečej?
Supermarket bills run roughly 54% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Bečej?
All in, you’ll spend $1,294 per month in Phuket versus $843 in Bečej – Bečej is about 35% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Bečej?
At $843 in Bečej versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bečej but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bečej the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Bečej?
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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Bečej?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Bečej are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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