Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Catania

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,561 in Catania, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Catania
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Catania Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Catania

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,561

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Catania

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,561 in Catania.

Phuket $1,208
Catania $1,561

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,390 in Catania.

Phuket $2,027
Catania $2,390

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $3,219 in Catania.

Phuket $2,845
Catania $3,219

Living in Phuket costs roughly 23% less than in Catania, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Catania is 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$17.12 €15.23

-74.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$55.8 €49.62

-42.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$11.11 €9.88

-21.15%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.10 €1.86

34.76%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.90 €2.58

-68.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$2.07 €1.84

-77.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$6.70 €5.96

-61.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.09 €3.64

-6.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.31 €1.17

32.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.59 €1.41

-7.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.68 €2.39

-43.66%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.41 €3.03

-36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$11.37 €10.12

73.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$12.04 €10.71

-72.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$15.66 €13.93

-28.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.99 €1.77

43.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.68 €1.50

1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.38 €1.23

58.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.66 €2.37

-22.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.76 €1.56

-17.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.31 €1.16

5.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.23 €1.09

-13.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.47 €0.42

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.57 €5.84

-35.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.89 €7.02

135.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.75 €1.56

1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.53 €1.36

86.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.60 €1.43

41.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$36.97 €32.89

-40.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$4.44 €3.95

-32.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.10 €0.98

-3.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$22.19 €19.74

-82.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.13 €1.90

-31.92%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$36.7K €32.6K

-28.20%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$37.0K €32.9K

-27.15%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$315 €280

-69.43%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$10.58 €9.41

4.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$34.75 €30.91

-50.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$60.0 €53.4

-13.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.53 €12.92

-23.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$9.16 €8.15

-14.74%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$447 €397

24.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$6,707 €5,966

72.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$85.8 €76.3

-25.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$33.89 €30.15

-15.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$88.2 €78.4

8.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$128 €114

-31.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$607 €539

21.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$381 €339

21.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,153 €1,026

81.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$783 €696

53.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,254 €2,005

54.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,522 €1,354

65.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,763 €1,568

-71.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.55

56.90%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Catania: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Catania

$381 24.4% 17.5% $81

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Catania

$280 17.9% 4.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Catania

$361 23.1% 190% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Catania

$151 9.7% 21.6% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Catania

$257 16.5% 112% $136

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Catania

$78 5% 15.5% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Catania

$53 3.4% 35.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $607 in Catania. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Catania pays 252% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $56.0 in Catania for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $280 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Catania

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

298,037

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Catania 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Catania

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 Catania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 252% lower in Catania. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $607 in Catania. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,208 per month in Phuket versus $1,561 in Catania – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 67% less than in Catania. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,561 in Catania, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Catania. 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 Catania, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Catania 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 29% less than in Catania. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.