Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Durres

For one person, living is cheaper in Durres: $1,128 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durres
Learn more

Durres Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Durres

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Durres

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,128 in Durres.

Phuket $1,278
Durres $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,732 in Durres.

Phuket $2,216
Durres $1,732

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,336 in Durres.

Phuket $3,154
Durres $2,336

Living in Phuket is roughly 13% more expensive than in Durres, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Durres 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.48 ALL 849

-57.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$37.19 ALL 3,013

-12.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.37 ALL 840

-15.04%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.07 ALL 168

36.71%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.12 ALL 172

-58.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.07 ALL 86.9

-54.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.06 ALL 248

-16.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.44 ALL 359

-17.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.08 ALL 168

-20.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.03 ALL 83.4

41.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.29 ALL 185

-34.50%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.86 ALL 312

-45.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.69 ALL 1,028

50.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$7.78 ALL 631

-57.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.02 ALL 1,217

-27.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.20 ALL 97.4

144.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.43 ALL 197

-30.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.56 ALL 126

44.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.32 ALL 107

57.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.90 ALL 73.1

67.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.95 ALL 77.2

45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.22 ALL 99.1

-12.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.71 ALL 57.4

-26.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.43 ALL 359

-5.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.99 ALL 890

70.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.49 ALL 121

22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.08 ALL 169

36.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.48 ALL 38.50

202.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$19.58 ALL 1,586

189.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.65 ALL 296

-17.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$2.50 ALL 202

-59.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$2.20 ALL 178

-33.18%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$16.0K ALL 1.3M

66.93%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$25.6K ALL 2.1M

4.30%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$90.2 ALL 7,310

6.77%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.02 ALL 1,460

-37.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$16.33 ALL 1,323

3.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$41.02 ALL 3,323

63.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$61.3 ALL 4,963

-82.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.52 ALL 610

-0.27%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$189 ALL 15.3K

151.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$4,673 ALL 378.6K

141.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$38.78 ALL 3,142

60.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$41.46 ALL 3,358

-31.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$89.1 ALL 7,216

5.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$162 ALL 13.1K

-47.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$451 ALL 36.5K

58.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$321 ALL 26.0K

52.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$703 ALL 57.0K

174.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$463 ALL 37.5K

208.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$1,993 ALL 161.5K

109.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,302 ALL 105.5K

133.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$977 ALL 79.1K

-48.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Durres: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Durres

$321 28.5% 34.6% $170

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Durres

$263 23.3% 1.3% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Durres

$125 11.1% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Durres

$149 13.2% 22.3% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Durres

$177 15.7% 45.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Durres

$56 5% 31.8% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Durres

$38 3.3% 46.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $451 in Durres. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durres pays 94% 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 $37 in Durres. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $263, with Durres cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇱 Durres

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

06:27 6:27 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

175,110

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 81.01 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.8 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Durres 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Durres

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 Durres: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durres wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Durres the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 49% 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 $451 in Durres. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Durres runs roughly 65% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,128 in Durres – Durres is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Durres is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.