Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Biarritz

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,093 in Biarritz, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Biarritz, France
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Biarritz
🇫🇷 France
$2,093
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Biarritz

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,093 in Biarritz.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Biarritz $2,093

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,404 in Biarritz.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Biarritz $3,404

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,715 in Biarritz.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Biarritz $4,715

Living in Phuket costs roughly 39% less than in Biarritz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Biarritz is 54% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Biarritz
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$20.34 €18.16
-78.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,092
$79.3 €70.8
-59.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$13.95 €12.46
-36.85%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.2
$3.77 €3.37
-24.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.36
$2.95 €2.64
-70.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.63
$1.37 €1.23
-64.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.2
$7.63 €6.81
-66.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$6.85 €6.12
-46.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Biarritz
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.23 €1.09
34.96%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.24
$2.04 €1.82
-28.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$2.18 €1.95
-31.19%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.4
$3.56 €3.18
-41.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿642
$13.66 €12.19
39.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$15.95 €14.24
-79.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$20.02 €17.87
-45.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.7
$3.27 €2.92
-10.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.9
$2.27 €2.03
-25.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$3.39 €3.03
-33.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿69.9
$4.38 €3.91
-52.51%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.9
$2.25 €2.01
-32.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.45
$2.61 €2.33
-47.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.90
$1.32 €1.18
-18.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.48
$0.52 €0.46
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$13.33 €11.91
-68.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿633
$9.98 €8.92
88.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$3.93 €3.51
-53.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.7
$3.45 €3.08
-17.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Biarritz
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.91
$1.64 €1.46
-11.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,909
$42.79 €38.21
32.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$2.29 €2.05
31.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.28
$1.81 €1.61
-43.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
$37.49 €33.48
-90.16%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.69
$2.08 €1.86
-29.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿902.1K
$34.6K €30.9K
-22.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿899.2K
$36.1K €32.2K
-26.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Biarritz
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,246
$219 €196
-56.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$15.58 €13.92
-27.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$30.67 €27.39
-45.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Biarritz
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,265
$72.6 €64.9
-7.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿361
$23.79 €21.24
-54.90%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$10.23 €9.13
-26.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Biarritz
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.0K
$788 €704
-39.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.5K
$13.2K €11.7K
-14.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Biarritz
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,101
$119 €106
-47.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿957
$44.95 €40.14
-36.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,177
$107 €95.4
-11.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,891
$148 €132
-42.05%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Biarritz
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$901 €804
-20.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.5K
$794 €709
-38.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿64.9K
$2,166 €1,934
-11.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.2K
$1,776 €1,586
-19.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.7K
$10.1K €8,975
-58.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.6K
$7,712 €6,887
-60.52%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Biarritz
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
$2,313 €2,065
-78.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.7
50.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Biarritz: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Biarritz
$794 61.8% $303
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Biarritz
$372 39.7% $106
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Biarritz
$266 113% $141
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Biarritz
$188 54.5% $66
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Biarritz
$319 162% $197
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Biarritz
$93 13.2% $11
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Biarritz
$61 14% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $901 in Biarritz. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Biarritz pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $79 in Biarritz for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $372 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇫🇷 Biarritz
🕒 Local time
23:06 11:06 PM
17:06 5:06 PM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
25,764
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Biarritz 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Biarritz

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 Biarritz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Phuket and in Biarritz?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,093 in Biarritz, so Phuket is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 78% 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 Biarritz?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $901 in Biarritz. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Biarritz. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $79 in Biarritz. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,093 in Biarritz, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Biarritz. 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 Biarritz?
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.
Is Phuket or Biarritz safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Biarritz are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
How do I decide between Phuket and Biarritz?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Biarritz on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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