Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Carbonia Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Carbonia

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,519 in Carbonia.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,255 in Phuket versus $2,372 in Carbonia.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,279 in Phuket versus $3,225 in Carbonia.

Living in Phuket costs roughly 19% less than in Carbonia, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 8% below, Carbonia is 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 ฿151

$11.68 €9.97

-60.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 ฿1,523

$82.0 €70.0

-42.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 ฿287

$11.17 €9.54

-20.86%

Cappuccino

$3.00 ฿97.4

$1.36 €1.16

120.59%

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

$0.74 ฿24.11

$1.18 €1.01

-37.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿11.88

$0.57 €0.48

-35.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿79.3

$2.27 €1.94

7.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 ฿117

$4.58 €3.91

-21.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 ฿73.5

$1.66 €1.42

36.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 ฿59.8

$2.33 €1.99

-21.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ฿73.0

$3.32 €2.83

-32.53%

Eggs

$2.32 ฿75.3

$3.49 €2.98

-33.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿639

$17.19 €14.68

14.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.65 ฿119

$13.19 €11.27

-72.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.10 ฿426

$19.34 €16.52

-32.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 ฿110

$2.36 €2.01

43.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿53.4

$1.70 €1.45

-3.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ฿78.5

$2.21 €1.89

9.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 ฿66.0

$3.56 €3.04

-42.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿50.6

$1.90 €1.63

-17.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 ฿48.66

$2.04 €1.74

-26.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ฿33.30

$1.47 €1.26

-30.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿15.91

$0.22 €0.19

122.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.45 ฿145

$7.10 €6.07

-37.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.88 ฿614

$8.42 €7.19

124.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿57.7

$1.18 €1.01

50.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿89.5

$1.43 €1.22

92.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 ฿45.54

$1.72 €1.47

-18.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.48 ฿373

$43.42 €37.08

-73.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ฿101

$3.85 €3.29

-18.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ฿32.48

$1.16 €0.99

-13.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.09 ฿458

$29.71 €25.37

-52.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿43.93

$2.13 €1.82

-36.62%

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

$27.2K ฿883.7K

$27.9K €23.8K

-2.56%

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

$32.9K ฿1.1M

$32.7K €28.0K

0.54%

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

$125 ฿4,063

$117 €99.7

7.00%

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

$13.57 ฿441

$12.94 €11.05

4.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.52 ฿602

$26.82 €22.90

-30.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.5 ฿1,999

$54.4 €46.48

12.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.84 ฿547

$23.51 €20.07

-28.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 ฿299

$10.63 €9.08

-13.55%

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

$698 ฿22.7K

$412 €352

69.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K ฿506.9K

$7,868 €6,719

98.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 ฿1,878

$91.8 €78.4

-37.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.24 ฿1,146

$63.1 €53.9

-44.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ฿3,677

$85.0 €72.6

33.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 ฿2,808

$121 €103

-28.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 ฿20.0K

$746 €637

-17.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ฿14.5K

$578 €493

-22.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,048 ฿66.6K

$1,233 €1,053

66.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,492 ฿48.5K

$929 €793

60.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,779 ฿122.8K

$3,344 €2,856

13.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,649 ฿86.1K

$2,033 €1,736

30.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$524 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.33

4.87

9.45%

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

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Last update for Carbonia: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $616 in Phuket and $746 in Carbonia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Phuket vs $82.0 in Carbonia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $335 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 Carbonia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Clothing & Footwear, Eating Out, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Getting Around. The 23% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,847 in Phuket and $2,279 in Carbonia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $616 in Phuket versus $746 in Carbonia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $698 in Phuket versus $412 in Carbonia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,519 in Carbonia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Carbonia. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Carbonia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Carbonia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.