Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Carrara

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,729 in Carrara, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Carrara
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Carrara Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Carrara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,729

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Carrara

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,729 in Carrara, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Carrara $1,729

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,591 in Carrara, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Carrara $2,591

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,453 in Carrara, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Carrara $3,453

Phuket is about 26% cheaper than Carrara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Carrara is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.62 €20.32

-80.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$78.0 €70.1

-58.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.00 €8.98

-11.90%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.72 €1.54

64.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.66 €2.39

-67.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.09 €0.98

-55.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.86 €6.16

-62.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.20 €5.57

-40.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.59 €1.43

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.15 €1.93

-32.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.91 €2.61

-48.45%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.45 €3.10

-39.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$12.68 €11.39

50.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.14 €10.90

-72.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$25.81 €23.18

-57.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.53 €2.27

15.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.29 €2.06

-26.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.24 €2.91

-30.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.31 €2.97

-37.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.81 €1.63

-16.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.85 €1.66

-25.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.42 €1.27

-24.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.33 €0.29

57.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.61 €5.94

-36.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.87 €7.07

138.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.95 €1.75

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.26 €2.03

25.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.94 €1.74

-25.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$38.47 €34.56

47.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.59 €3.22

-15.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.26 €1.14

-19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$30.82 €27.69

-88.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.03 €1.83

-27.59%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$35.2K €31.6K

-23.94%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$38.5K €34.6K

-30.69%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$240 €215

-59.82%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.47 €10.31

-1.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$33.46 €30.06

-49.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$35.74 €32.11

88.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$24.18 €21.72

-55.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.12 €9.99

-32.55%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$765 €687

-37.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$9,862 €8,859

14.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$22.26 €20.00

180.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.02 €35.05

-27.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$88.0 €79.0

7.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$136 €122

-36.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$534 €479

34.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$565 €507

-13.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,148 €1,031

67.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$807 €725

77.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,969 €2,667

40.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,046 €1,838

48.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,656 €1,488

-69.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.16

76.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Carrara: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Carrara

$565 32.7% 15% $74

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Carrara

$344 19.9% 29% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Carrara

$285 16.5% 129% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Carrara

$128 7.4% 5.3% $6.4

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Carrara

$293 17% 141% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Carrara

$58 3.4% 29.5% $24

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Carrara

$56 3.3% 20.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $534 in Carrara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Carrara are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $78 in Carrara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $344 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Carrara

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

23:07 11:07 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

63,133

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Carrara 9,260 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Carrara

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 Carrara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carrara costs about 35% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,593 in Carrara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Carrara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $534 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Carrara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $78 in Carrara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Carrara at $1,729. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Carrara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,729 in Carrara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Carrara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.