Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Iskele

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,042 in Iskele, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Iskele
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Iskele Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Iskele

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Iskele

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,042 in Iskele.

Phuket $1,278
Iskele $2,042

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,141 in Iskele.

Phuket $2,216
Iskele $3,141

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,240 in Iskele.

Phuket $3,154
Iskele $4,240

Living in Phuket costs roughly 37% less than in Iskele, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Iskele is 50% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.76 €20.36

-80.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$77.7 €69.5

-58.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.45 €8.45

-6.77%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.96 €3.55

-28.54%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$1.89 €1.69

-53.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.21 €1.08

-59.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$5.47 €4.89

-53.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.73 €5.13

-35.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.92 €1.71

-13.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.34

$2.47 €2.21

-40.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.03 €2.71

-50.50%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.59 €4.11

-54.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$13.31 €11.91

43.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.77 €8.74

-66.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.90 €12.44

-21.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.51 €3.14

-16.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.33 €2.09

-27.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.97 €2.66

-24.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$3.85 €3.44

-45.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.08 €1.86

-27.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.55

$1.55 €1.39

-10.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.98

$1.25 €1.12

-14.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.11 €0.99

-53.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.55 €5.86

-35.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$9.16 €8.20

105.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.84 €1.65

-1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.90 €2.59

-2.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.01

$2.28 €2.04

-36.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$50.3 €45.01

12.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$10.19 €9.11

-70.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.35

$2.21 €1.98

-53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$21.96 €19.65

-83.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.79

$1.80 €1.61

-18.33%

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

$26.8K ฿904.0K

$31.0K €27.7K

-13.61%

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

$26.7K ฿901.1K

$31.6K €28.3K

-15.55%

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

$96.4 ฿3,253

$236 €211

-59.14%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$20.55 €18.39

-45.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.94 €28.58

-47.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$68.3 €61.1

-1.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$25.12 €22.47

-57.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.34 €11.93

-43.78%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$677 €606

-29.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.2K

$10.3K €9,245

9.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$98.2 €87.9

-36.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$52.0 €46.49

-45.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,183

$109 €97.7

-13.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,897

$114 €102

-24.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,061 €949

-32.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$773 €692

-36.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,839 €1,645

4.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,384 €1,238

3.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$2,912 €2,605

43.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,196 €1,964

38.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$933 €835

-46.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.93

41.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Iskele: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Iskele

$773 37.9% 57.5% $282

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Iskele

$328 16.1% 23.4% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Iskele

$288 14.1% 132% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Iskele

$168 8.2% 37.7% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Iskele

$309 15.1% 154% $187

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Iskele

$95 4.7% 15.5% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Iskele

$81 4% 14.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,061 in Iskele. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Iskele pays 86% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $78 in Iskele for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $328 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇾 Iskele

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

19:09 7:09 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,490

💱 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 33.76 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Iskele 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Iskele

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 Iskele: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Iskele. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 46% 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 $1,061 in Iskele. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $677 in Iskele. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Iskele. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,042 in Iskele, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Iskele. 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.

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