Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cento

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,638 in Cento, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Cento
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Cento Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Cento

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cento

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,638 in Cento.

Phuket $1,294
Cento $1,638

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,655 in Cento.

Phuket $2,204
Cento $2,655

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,672 in Cento.

Phuket $3,115
Cento $3,672

Living in Phuket costs roughly 21% less than in Cento, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Cento is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$20.05 €17.81

-78.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,086

$90.2 €80.2

-64.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿293

$13.35 €11.86

-34.83%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.6

$2.27 €2.02

19.82%

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

$0.93 ฿31.28

$3.45 €3.06

-73.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.79

$1.64 €1.45

-69.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.1

$6.09 €5.41

-58.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$5.62 €5.00

-35.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.5

$1.43 €1.27

21.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.77

$2.76 €2.45

-47.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.72 €2.41

-44.85%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$3.87 €3.44

-43.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿642

$18.13 €16.10

5.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$12.27 €10.90

-72.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$17.32 €15.39

-37.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.9

$2.24 €1.99

31.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.70 €1.51

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.8

$1.95 €1.73

12.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$2.46 €2.18

-13.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.03

$1.35 €1.20

8.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.99

$1.41 €1.25

-2.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.17

$1.63 €1.45

-33.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.34

$0.56 €0.50

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$6.67 €5.92

-33.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿614

$7.78 €6.91

134.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.6

$1.56 €1.38

13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.89 €1.68

52.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.66

$1.63 €1.45

-11.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,845

$42.22 €37.51

30.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$4.48 €3.98

-66.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.08

$1.48 €1.32

-47.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$27.78 €24.68

-86.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$2.10 €1.86

-29.05%

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

$26.9K ฿903.7K

$35.5K €31.6K

-24.32%

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

$26.3K ฿885.7K

$37.9K €33.7K

-30.55%

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

$97.8 ฿3,288

$237 €211

-58.73%

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

$11.29 ฿380

$11.28 €10.02

0.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿578

$27.99 €24.86

-38.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,297

$53.5 €47.56

27.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

$23.42 €20.80

-53.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$10.15 €9.02

-26.80%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$425 €377

24.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿631.4K

$4,424 €3,930

324.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,073

$88.3 €78.4

-30.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿950

$43.51 €38.65

-35.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,228

$93.5 €83.0

2.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,919

$150 €133

-42.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$536 €476

34.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$444 €394

14.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.6K

$1,062 €943

83.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.0K

$915 €813

52.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.9K

$2,942 €2,613

42.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.9K

$2,022 €1,796

63.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$1,779 €1,580

-72.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.19

74.61%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cento: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Cento

$444 27.1% 12.8% $65

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Cento

$325 19.8% 21.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Cento

$276 16.9% 119% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Cento

$169 10.3% 37.7% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Cento

$290 17.7% 142% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Cento

$74 4.5% 11.2% $9.3

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Cento

$61 3.7% 8.2% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $536 in Cento. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cento pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $90 in Cento for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $325 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Cento

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

00:22 12:22 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

35,582

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 EUR = 1.13 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.888 EUR (1 EUR = 1.13 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cento 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cento

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 Cento: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Cento. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 72% lower in Phuket. 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: $721 in Phuket versus $536 in Cento. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cento runs roughly 23% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $425 in Cento. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,638 in Cento, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cento. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Cento on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.