Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gharb

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,217 in Gharb, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Gharb
Learn more

Gharb Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Gharb

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gharb

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,217 in Gharb, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Gharb $2,217

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,242 in Gharb, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Gharb $3,242

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $4,267 in Gharb, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Gharb $4,267

Phuket is about 42% cheaper than Gharb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Gharb is 63% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.16 €19.77

-79.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$89.5 €79.9

-63.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.17 €11.75

-33.11%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.26 €2.91

-13.19%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$2.34 €2.09

-62.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.92 €1.72

-74.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.55 €4.95

-53.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.59 €5.88

-44.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.32 €1.17

25.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.41 €1.26

3.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.51 €3.13

-57.26%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.38 €3.90

-52.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.14 €9.04

88.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.11 €10.80

-72.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.36 €16.38

-40.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$3.68 €3.28

-20.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.73 €2.43

-38.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$3.79 €3.38

-40.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.81 €3.40

-45.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.83 €1.64

-17.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$3.33 €2.97

-58.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$2.28 €2.04

-53.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$1.48 €1.32

-64.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.29 €5.61

-33.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.05 €5.40

210.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.43 €2.16

-25.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.38 €2.13

19.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$2.21 €1.97

-34.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.82 €3.41

-20.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.81 €1.62

-43.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$32.93 €29.38

-88.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.52 €1.36

-3.29%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$27.6K €24.6K

-2.89%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$38.7K €34.5K

-31.06%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$154 €137

-37.35%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$30.85 €27.53

-63.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$29.18 €26.03

-42.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$69.5 €62.0

-3.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.14 €9.94

-32.68%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$283 €252

68.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$12.4K €11.1K

-9.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$56.4 €50.3

10.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$69.1 €61.7

-58.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$112 €99.7

-15.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$128 €115

-33.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$975 €870

-26.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,070 €954

-54.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,644 €1,467

17.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,532 €1,367

-6.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$4,033 €3,598

3.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,039 €2,711

0.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.05

37.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gharb: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Gharb

$1.1K 48.2% 118% $579

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Gharb

$342 15.4% 28.4% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Gharb

$214 9.6% 71.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gharb

$165 7.4% 35% $43

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gharb

$314 14.2% 158% $192

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Gharb

$92 4.1% 11.6% $9.5

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Gharb

$22 * 1% 69.2% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $975 in Gharb. 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 $90 in Gharb. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $342 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇹 Gharb

🕒 Local time

01:15 1:15 AM

19:15 7:15 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Gharb 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gharb

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 Gharb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gharb costs about 73% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $3,326 in Gharb. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $975 in Gharb.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,217 in Gharb. That makes Phuket about 42% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $283 in Gharb. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Gharb at $2,217. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gharb it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $2,217 in Gharb. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.