Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Jelgava

For one person, living is cheaper in Jelgava: $1,079 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Jelgava
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Jelgava Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Jelgava

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Jelgava

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $1,079 in Jelgava, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Jelgava $1,079

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,644 in Jelgava, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Jelgava $1,644

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $2,209 in Jelgava, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Jelgava $2,209

Phuket costs about 12% more than Jelgava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Jelgava are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Jelgava 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$7.74 €6.88

-43.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$45.05 €40.07

-28.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.58 €5.85

33.13%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.32 €2.95

-14.76%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.61 €1.43

-44.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.19 €1.06

-60.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$4.52 €4.02

-43.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.94 €3.51

-2.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.22 €1.09

41.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.92 €0.81

59.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.48 €1.32

2.03%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.19 €2.84

-31.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.34 €9.20

90.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$5.39 €4.79

-38.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$8.79 €7.82

26.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.64 €1.46

73.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.84 €1.63

-7.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.46 €2.18

-10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.12 €2.78

-34.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.82 €0.73

76.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.95 €0.85

45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.70 €1.51

-37.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.91 €0.81

-43.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.69 €5.95

-36.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.94 €7.06

134.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.97 €1.75

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.08 €1.85

37.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.94 €0.83

140.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$28.22 €25.10

-21.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.38 €3.00

-10.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.04 €0.92

1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$17.93 €15.95

-78.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.90 €1.69

-23.68%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$22.6K €20.1K

16.25%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$29.5K €26.3K

-8.78%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$186 €166

-48.26%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$18.90 €16.81

-41.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$14.88 €13.24

15.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$46.18 €41.08

12.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$32.10 €28.56

-65.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.03 €9.81

-29.19%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$226 €201

146.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$14.2K €12.6K

-18.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$49.55 €44.07

29.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$22.28 €19.81

28.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$55.1 €48.96

73.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$113 €101

-22.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$331 €295

122.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$258 €230

79.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$587 €522

256.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$424 €378

182.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,025 €912

240.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$905 €805

178.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$1,597 €1,420

-68.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Jelgava: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Jelgava

$258 23.9% 44.2% $204

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Jelgava

$221 20.5% 17.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Jelgava

$220 20.4% 76.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Jelgava

$108 10% 13.1% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Jelgava

$163 15.1% 34.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Jelgava

$68 6.3% 0.7% $0.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Jelgava

$41 3.8% 2.8% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket versus $331 in Jelgava. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 219% higher in Jelgava, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $45.00 in Jelgava. Groceries tell a different story – $269 in Phuket vs $221 in Jelgava – so Jelgava wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇻 Jelgava

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

16:56 4:56 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

63,534

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Jelgava 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Jelgava

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 Jelgava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,619 in Jelgava. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jelgava, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $45.00 in Jelgava. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $1,079 in Jelgava. That's a gap of about 12%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jelgava, where all-in costs run around $1,079, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Jelgava it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jelgava – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Jelgava. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.