Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Cinque Terre

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,089 in Cinque Terre, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Cinque Terre, Italy
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Cinque Terre
🇮🇹 Italy
$2,089
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Cinque Terre

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,089 in Cinque Terre, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Cinque Terre $2,089

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,099 in Cinque Terre, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Cinque Terre $3,099

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,108 in Cinque Terre, rent included.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Cinque Terre $4,108

Phuket is about 39% cheaper than Cinque Terre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Cinque Terre is 54% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Cinque Terre
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$22.47 €20.13
-80.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$85.3 €76.4
-62.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$12.19 €10.93
-27.73%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$2.61 €2.33
8.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.42
$3.43 €3.08
-74.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.66
$1.67 €1.50
-70.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$6.85 €6.13
-62.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$6.79 €6.08
-45.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Cinque Terre
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$2.01 €1.80
-17.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.32
$3.27 €2.93
-55.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$3.09 €2.77
-51.46%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$4.52 €4.05
-53.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$23.43 €21.00
-18.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$12.82 €11.48
-74.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$22.88 €20.50
-52.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$2.86 €2.56
2.45%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$2.30 €2.06
-26.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$2.54 €2.27
-11.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$3.70 €3.32
-43.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$2.23 €2.00
-32.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.54
$2.09 €1.87
-33.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.97
$1.64 €1.47
-34.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.59 €0.53
-11.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$6.98 €6.25
-39.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$8.75 €7.84
114.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$2.45 €2.19
-25.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$2.38 €2.13
19.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Cinque Terre
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.00
$1.54 €1.38
-5.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$41.45 €37.14
36.69%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$9.46 €8.47
-68.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.34
$1.55 €1.39
-34.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$31.01 €27.79
-88.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.78
$2.09 €1.88
-29.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.7K
$36.3K €32.6K
-26.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.8K
$38.4K €34.4K
-30.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Cinque Terre
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,252
$327 €293
-70.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$14.22 €12.74
-20.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$30.24 €27.10
-44.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Cinque Terre
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,269
$59.5 €53.3
12.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$22.57 €20.22
-52.46%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$15.45 €13.84
-51.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Cinque Terre
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$897 €804
-46.93%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.1K
$10.0K €9,004
12.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Cinque Terre
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,105
$122 €109
-48.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$46.11 €41.32
-38.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,182
$115 €103
-18.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,896
$165 €148
-48.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Cinque Terre
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$832 €746
-13.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$643 €576
-23.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$1,073 €962
79.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$923 €827
55.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$2,558 €2,293
63.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$2,176 €1,950
39.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Cinque Terre
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.47
60.52%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cinque Terre: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Cinque Terre
$643 30.9% $152
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Cinque Terre
$402 51% $136
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Cinque Terre
$372 199% $247
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Cinque Terre
$202 65.7% $80
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Cinque Terre
$316 160% $194
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Cinque Terre
$90 9.9% $8.2
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Cinque Terre
$65 8.2% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $832 in Cinque Terre. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $85 in Cinque Terre. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $402 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇹 Cinque Terre
🕒 Local time
16:32 4:32 PM
10:32 10:32 AM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
506
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Cinque Terre 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Cinque Terre

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 Cinque Terre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Phuket and in Cinque Terre compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Phuket, $2,089 in Cinque Terre – Phuket comes out roughly 39% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Phuket compared to Cinque Terre?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,134 in Cinque Terre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Phuket and Cinque Terre?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $832 in Cinque Terre.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Phuket and Cinque Terre?
Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $897 in Cinque Terre. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 51% more in Cinque Terre, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Cinque Terre at $2,089. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cinque Terre it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Phuket or Cinque Terre?
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.
Is Phuket or Cinque Terre safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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