Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Gjilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gjilan: $774 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Gjilan
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Gjilan Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Gjilan

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Gjilan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $774 in Gjilan.

Phuket $1,278
Gjilan $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,149 in Gjilan.

Phuket $2,216
Gjilan $1,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,524 in Gjilan.

Phuket $3,154
Gjilan $1,524

Living in Phuket is roughly 65% more expensive than in Gjilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Gjilan 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$4.28 €3.83

4.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$22.18 €19.87

46.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.45 €4.88

61.65%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.37 €1.23

106.57%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.07 €0.96

-18.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.88 €0.79

-44.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.65 €1.48

55.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$1.36 €1.21

170.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.30 €1.16

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.44 €0.39

231.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.27 €1.14

18.11%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.78 €1.59

17.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.03 €7.20

137.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.77 €6.06

-51.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.45 €11.15

-12.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.60 €1.44

83.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.58 €1.41

6.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.78 €1.59

26.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.67 €1.50

24.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.92 €0.82

64.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.86 €0.77

60.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.77 €0.69

38.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.49 €0.44

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.37 €3.02

24.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.50 €4.93

241.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$0.91 €0.82

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.22 €1.09

132.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.55 €0.49

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.21 €1.98

36.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.54 €0.49

88.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$3.38 €3.02

9.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.43 €1.28

2.80%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$22.2K €19.9K

20.48%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$25.7K €23.0K

3.97%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$104 €93.4

-7.59%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$11.39 €10.20

-1.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$23.40 €20.96

-27.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$19.32 €17.31

247.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.57 €4.09

64.11%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$169 €151

182.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$1,476 €1,322

663.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$42.23 €37.82

47.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$31.95 €28.61

-11.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$63.0 €56.4

49.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$80.1 €71.8

7.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$277 €248

158.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$227 €203

116.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$474 €424

306.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$357 €320

300.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$905 €811

361.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$698 €625

336.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$456 €408

10.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.5

23.78%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gjilan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Gjilan

$227 29.3% 53.8% $264

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Gjilan

$189 24.4% 28.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Gjilan

$139 18% 11.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gjilan

$98 12.6% 19.8% $24

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Gjilan

$86 11.1% 29.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Gjilan

$28 3.7% 65.4% $54

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Gjilan

$7.1 * 0.9% 89.9% $63

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 $277 in Gjilan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $22 in Gjilan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $189 per month, with Gjilan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇽🇰 Gjilan

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

22:15 10:15 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

54,239

💱 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 October 31, 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 October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Gjilan 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Gjilan

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 Gjilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $774 in Gjilan, so Gjilan is about 39% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 10% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $277 in Gjilan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $774 in Gjilan – Gjilan is about 39% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $774 in Gjilan versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Gjilan but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Gjilan 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 Gjilan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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