Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Carlow

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,548 in Carlow, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Carlow
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Carlow Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Carlow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Carlow

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $2,548 in Carlow, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Carlow $2,548

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $3,814 in Carlow, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Carlow $3,814

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $5,081 in Carlow, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Carlow $5,081

Phuket is about 53% cheaper than Carlow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Carlow is 88% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$21.01 €18.69

-79.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$90.7 €80.7

-64.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$13.10 €11.65

-33.13%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.25 €3.78

-33.41%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.67 €2.37

-66.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.22 €1.97

-78.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$7.41 €6.59

-65.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.54 €5.82

-41.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.64 €1.46

5.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.99 €1.77

-26.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.91 €1.69

-20.94%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.35 €3.87

-50.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$13.47 €11.98

46.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$12.81 €11.39

-73.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.43 €12.84

-22.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.19 €2.84

-10.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$3.00 €2.67

-43.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$3.33 €2.96

-34.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.29 €2.92

-37.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$2.37 €2.11

-38.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.76 €1.57

-21.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.44 €1.28

-25.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$1.33 €1.19

-61.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$18.84 €16.76

-77.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$13.53 €12.04

37.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$4.27 €3.80

-58.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.43 €3.05

-16.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.25 €1.11

80.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$5.11 €4.55

-41.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.54 €1.37

-31.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$32.43 €28.85

-88.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.09 €1.86

-30.62%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$38.6K €34.4K

-31.85%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$38.1K €33.9K

-29.31%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$243 €216

-60.33%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$22.26 €19.80

-50.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$56.4 €50.2

-69.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$78.8 €70.1

-33.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$56.1 €49.93

-80.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$13.59 €12.09

-42.53%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,052 €936

-47.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$5,449 €4,847

112.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$95.3 €84.8

-32.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$42.63 €37.92

-32.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$101 €89.8

-5.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$102 €90.3

-13.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,441 €1,282

-48.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,261 €1,121

-63.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$2,596 €2,310

-19.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$2,152 €1,914

-44.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$5,664 €5,038

-38.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$6,675 €5,937

-62.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$2,351 €2,091

-78.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Carlow: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Carlow

$1.3K 49.5% 173% $798

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Carlow

$361 14.2% 34.2% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Carlow

$322 12.6% 158% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Carlow

$153 6% 23.2% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Carlow

$328 12.9% 171% $207

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Carlow

$106 4.2% 56.4% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Carlow

$18 * 0.7% 54.8% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $1,441 in Carlow. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 370% higher in Carlow, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $91.0 in Carlow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $361 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇪 Carlow

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

12:12 12:12 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

27,351

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Carlow 10,320 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Carlow

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 Carlow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Carlow is pricier by about 111%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $3,822 in Carlow. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $2,548 in Carlow. That's a gap of about 111%.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $1,052 in Carlow. 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 $1,208, than in Carlow at $2,548. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Carlow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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