Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Bugibba

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,739 in Bugibba, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Bugibba
Learn more

Bugibba Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Bugibba

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Bugibba

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,739 in Bugibba, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Bugibba $1,739

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,712 in Bugibba, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Bugibba $2,712

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,686 in Bugibba, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Bugibba $3,686

Phuket is about 27% cheaper than Bugibba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Bugibba is 28% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.04 €15.27

-73.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$79.1 €70.8

-59.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.25 €10.08

-21.69%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.04 €2.73

-6.91%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.32 €2.08

-62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.98 €1.78

-75.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.60 €4.12

-44.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.26 €2.92

12.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.35 €1.21

22.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.42 €1.27

2.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.27 €2.03

-33.92%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.26 €2.92

-35.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.17 €9.11

87.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.61 €8.61

-65.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.89 €10.65

-8.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.29 €2.05

27.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.09 €1.87

-19.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.47 €2.21

-8.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.83 €1.64

13.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.91 €1.71

-20.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.35 €1.21

2.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.68 €1.51

-36.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.62 €0.55

-16.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.12 €5.48

-31.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.66 €5.07

231.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.65 €1.48

10.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.48 €1.32

91.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$2.48 €2.22

-41.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.45 €3.09

-12.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.82 €1.63

-43.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$32.57 €29.17

-88.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.52 €1.36

-3.29%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$24.4K €21.9K

9.59%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$30.2K €27.1K

-11.64%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$75.6 €67.7

27.53%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.46 €15.64

-35.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$28.90 €25.88

-41.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$71.7 €64.2

-6.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$32.96 €29.52

-67.45%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.32 €10.14

-33.75%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$273 €245

74.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$12.5K €11.2K

-9.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$57.7 €51.6

8.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$68.9 €61.7

-58.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$113 €101

-16.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$132 €118

-35.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,089 €975

-34.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$827 €741

-40.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,643 €1,471

17.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,404 €1,257

1.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,100 €1,881

-76.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.05

37.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bugibba: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Bugibba

$827 47.6% 68.6% $337

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Bugibba

$252 14.5% 5.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Bugibba

$122 7% 2.1% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bugibba

$167 9.6% 37.3% $45

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Bugibba

$253 14.6% 108% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Bugibba

$94 5.4% 14.7% $12

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Bugibba

$22 * 1.3% 68.1% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $1,089 in Bugibba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bugibba are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $79 in Bugibba. Groceries tell a different story – $266 in Phuket vs $252 in Bugibba – so Bugibba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇹 Bugibba

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

02:39 2:39 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

32,042

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Bugibba 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Bugibba

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 Bugibba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $1,739 in Bugibba – Phuket comes out roughly 27% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,608 in Bugibba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,089 in Bugibba.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,739 in Bugibba. That makes Phuket about 27% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $273 in Bugibba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Bugibba at $1,739. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bugibba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,278 versus $1,739 in Bugibba. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bugibba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.