Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Birgu

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,731 in Birgu, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Birgu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,731 in Birgu.

Phuket $1,278
Birgu $1,731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,812 in Birgu.

Phuket $2,216
Birgu $2,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,894 in Birgu.

Phuket $3,154
Birgu $3,894

Living in Phuket costs roughly 26% less than in Birgu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Birgu is 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.30 €17.23

-76.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$87.5 €78.2

-62.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.78 €10.52

-25.21%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.2

$2.72 €2.43

4.04%

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

$0.87 ฿29.36

$2.18 €1.95

-60.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.63

$1.70 €1.52

-71.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$4.65 €4.15

-44.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.04 €4.50

-26.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.35 €1.21

22.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.24

$1.29 €1.15

13.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$4.24 €3.79

-64.62%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$4.08 €3.64

-48.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$8.38 €7.48

127.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.24 €7.35

-59.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.41 €13.76

-29.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.86 €2.56

2.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.25 €1.11

35.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.76 €2.47

-18.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿69.9

$2.81 €2.51

-25.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.22 €1.98

-31.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.45

$1.66 €1.48

-16.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.90

$2.28 €2.04

-53.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.48

$0.91 €0.81

-42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.72 €6.00

-37.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$8.10 €7.23

131.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.51 €1.35

20.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.39 €2.14

18.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$2.28 €2.04

-36.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$13.94 €12.44

306.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.74 €5.12

-47.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.28

$1.14 €1.02

-10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$26.73 €23.87

-86.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.48 €1.33

-0.68%

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

$26.8K ฿902.1K

$26.3K €23.5K

1.73%

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

$26.7K ฿899.2K

$33.3K €29.8K

-19.89%

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

$96.4 ฿3,246

$101 €90.2

-4.62%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$25.15 €22.46

-55.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$33.31 €29.75

-49.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,265

$44.02 €39.31

52.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$66.8 €59.7

-83.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.88 €8.82

-24.09%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$372 €332

28.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.5K

$1,987 €1,774

466.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,101

$25.02 €22.34

149.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$33.21 €29.65

-14.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,177

$99.6 €88.9

-5.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,891

$110 €98.3

-22.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$1,001 €894

-28.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$803 €717

-38.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$3,637 €3,248

-47.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$1,537 €1,373

-6.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$3,956 €3,532

5.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$2,883 €2,575

5.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,887 €1,686

-73.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.9

92.07%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Birgu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Birgu

$803 46.4% 63.7% $312

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Birgu

$278 16% 4.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Birgu

$159 9.2% 28.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Birgu

$121 7% 1.1% $1.3

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Birgu

$271 15.7% 123% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Birgu

$64 3.7% 22.4% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Birgu

$34 2% 51.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,001 in Birgu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birgu pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $88 in Birgu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $278 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇹 Birgu

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

03:44 3:44 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

2,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Birgu 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Birgu

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 Birgu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Birgu. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 73% 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 $1,001 in Birgu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Birgu runs roughly 75% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $372 in Birgu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,731 in Birgu, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Birgu. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value at $1,278 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Birgu are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Birgu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.