Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cesena

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,645 in Cesena, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Cesena
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Cesena Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Cesena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cesena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,645 in Cesena.

Phuket $1,278
Cesena $1,645

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,547 in Cesena.

Phuket $2,216
Cesena $2,547

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,449 in Cesena.

Phuket $3,154
Cesena $3,449

Living in Phuket costs roughly 22% less than in Cesena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Cesena is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.57 €14.84

-73.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$88.2 €79.0

-63.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.35 €11.06

-28.66%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.14 €1.92

32.24%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.81 €2.52

-69.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.13 €1.02

-56.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.97 €5.35

-57.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.11 €4.58

-27.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.41 €1.26

17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.32 €1.18

10.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.95 €1.75

-23.08%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.84 €2.54

-26.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$18.23 €16.33

4.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.82 €10.59

-72.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.60 €14.87

-34.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.90 €1.70

54.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.52 €2.26

-32.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.38 €2.13

-5.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.87 €3.46

-46.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.60 €1.43

-5.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.64 €1.47

-15.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.95 €1.75

-45.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.35 €0.31

48.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.54 €5.85

-35.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.59 €5.91

185.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.22 €1.10

49.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.71 €1.53

66.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$2.25 €2.02

-35.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$39.86 €35.70

42.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$8.53 €7.64

-64.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.94 €1.74

-47.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$33.99 €30.44

-89.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.05 €1.83

-28.29%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$35.9K €32.2K

-25.46%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$35.7K €32.0K

-25.34%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$189 €170

-49.10%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.70 €8.69

16.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$29.86 €26.74

-43.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$52.2 €46.71

28.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.14 €12.67

-24.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.25 €9.18

-26.83%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$535 €479

-10.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$10.2K €9,120

10.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$91.1 €81.6

-31.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$36.51 €32.70

-22.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$85.0 €76.1

10.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$77.6 €69.5

10.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$654 €586

9.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$589 €527

-16.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,165 €1,043

65.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$950 €851

50.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,926 €2,620

42.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,604 €2,332

16.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,724 €1,544

-70.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.3

68.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cesena: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Cesena

$589 35.8% 19.9% $98

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Cesena

$306 18.6% 15.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Cesena

$229 13.9% 83.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cesena

$131 7.9% 7.1% $8.7

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Cesena

$251 15.3% 106% $130

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Cesena

$73 4.4% 11.7% $9.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Cesena

$67 4.1% 4.9% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $654 in Cesena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cesena pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $88 in Cesena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $306 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Cesena

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

23:14 11:14 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

96,758

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Cesena 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Cesena

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 Cesena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $1,645 in Cesena, so Phuket is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 71% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $654 in Cesena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $88 in Cesena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,645 in Cesena – Phuket is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,645 in Cesena, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cesena. 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.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Cesena are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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