Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hvar

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,522 in Hvar, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Hvar
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Hvar Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Hvar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,522

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hvar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,522 in Hvar.

Phuket $1,278
Hvar $1,522

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,310 in Hvar.

Phuket $2,216
Hvar $2,310

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,097 in Hvar.

Phuket $3,154
Hvar $3,097

Living in Phuket costs roughly 16% less than in Hvar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Hvar is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.08 €11.75

-65.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$72.8 €65.4

-55.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.13 €8.20

-3.50%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.53 €2.27

11.86%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$3.12 €2.80

-72.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.28 €2.05

-78.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.54 €3.18

-27.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.09 €3.68

-10.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.19 €1.07

39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.54 €1.39

-5.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.99 €2.69

-49.83%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.88 €3.49

-46.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$10.69 €9.60

78.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.48 €8.52

-65.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$11.72 €10.53

-6.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.72 €1.55

70.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.67 €1.50

1.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.99 €1.79

13.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.57 €2.31

-19.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.29 €1.16

17.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.28 €1.15

7.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.27 €1.14

-15.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.20 €1.08

-56.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.73 €5.14

-26.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.89 €6.19

172.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.50 €1.35

21.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.99 €1.79

42.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.76 €1.58

-17.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$43.21 €38.82

31.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.08 €2.77

-1.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.11 €1.00

-8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$8.80 €7.91

-58.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.78 €1.60

-17.42%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$38.2K €34.3K

-29.96%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$26.6K €23.9K

0.48%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$190 €170

-49.23%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.50 €20.21

-49.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.64 €28.42

-46.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$50.5 €45.37

33.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$14.55 €13.07

-26.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.86 €7.96

-15.35%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$243 €218

95.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,090 €7,267

39.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$94.0 €84.4

-33.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$39.00 €35.03

-27.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$105 €94.2

-10.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$106 €94.8

-18.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$681 €612

5.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$526 €473

-6.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,116 €1,002

72.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$828 €744

72.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,155 €3,733

0.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,241 €2,911

-6.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.35

28.05%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hvar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Hvar

$526 34.6% 7.2% $36

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Hvar

$260 17.1% 2.3% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Hvar

$244 16% 96% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hvar

$155 10.2% 26.8% $33

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Hvar

$210 13.8% 72.4% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Hvar

$68 4.5% 17% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Hvar

$59 3.9% 16.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $681 in Hvar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $73 in Hvar. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $260, with Hvar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇭🇷 Hvar

🕒 Local time

03:26 3:26 AM

21:26 9:26 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,979

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Hvar 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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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 Hvar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,283 in Hvar to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $681 in Hvar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $243 in Hvar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $73 in Hvar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,522 in Hvar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Hvar. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 Hvar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.