Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Drama

For one person, living is cheaper in Drama: $1,219 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Drama
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Drama Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Drama

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Drama

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,219 in Drama.

Phuket $1,278
Drama $1,219

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,825 in Drama.

Phuket $2,216
Drama $1,825

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,430 in Drama.

Phuket $3,154
Drama $2,430

Living in Phuket is roughly 5% more expensive than in Drama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Drama 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.73 €14.99

-73.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$44.79 €40.14

-27.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.31 €10.14

-22.10%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.55 €2.28

10.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.26 €2.03

-61.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$0.75 €0.68

-34.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.29 €2.95

-22.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.48 €4.02

-17.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.67 €1.49

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.79 €1.60

-18.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.14 €1.02

31.58%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$5.23 €4.69

-60.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.98 €12.53

36.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.34 €8.37

-64.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.95 €12.50

-21.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.42 €1.27

106.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.37 €1.23

23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.17 €1.04

92.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.10 €1.88

-0.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.92 €0.83

64.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.21 €1.09

14.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.53 €1.37

-30.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.88 €0.79

-40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.13 €4.59

-18.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.68 €5.09

230.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.02 €0.91

78.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.96 €1.76

44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.28 €3.84

-29.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$1.14 €1.02

-10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$16.73 €15.00

-77.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$2.22 €1.99

-33.78%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$28.4K €25.4K

-5.68%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$28.2K €25.3K

-5.40%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$191 €171

-49.45%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.90 €20.52

-50.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$30.29 €27.14

-44.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$42.64 €38.21

57.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.02 €8.09

-16.85%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$447 €401

6.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$9,012 €8,075

24.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$97.8 €87.6

-36.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$22.45 €20.12

26.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$59.2 €53.1

59.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$66.0 €59.2

29.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$355 €318

101.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$295 €265

66.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$624 €559

208.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$445 €399

221.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$1,503 €1,347

177.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,215 €2,881

-5.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,125 €1,008

-55.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.27

30.44%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Drama: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Drama

$295 24.2% 39.9% $196

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Drama

$263 21.6% 1.1% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Drama

$244 20% 95.9% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Drama

$110 9.1% 9.4% $11

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Drama

$236 19.4% 93.8% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Drama

$61 5% 26.2% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Drama

$10 * 0.8% 85.9% $61

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $355 in Drama. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Drama pays about 2.2 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $45 in Drama. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $263, with Drama cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇷 Drama

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

42,501

💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

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

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Drama 8,110 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Drama

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 Drama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drama is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 55% 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 $355 in Drama. 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 $45 in Drama. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $447 in Drama. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Drama gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.