Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kaunas

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,509 in Kaunas, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Kaunas, Lithuania
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Kaunas
🇱🇹 Lithuania
$1,509
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kaunas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,509 in Kaunas.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Kaunas $1,509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,259 in Kaunas.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Kaunas $2,259

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,008 in Kaunas.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Kaunas $3,008

Living in Phuket costs roughly 15% less than in Kaunas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Kaunas is 11% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Kaunas
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$12.03 €10.78
-62.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$67.5 €60.5
-51.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$10.20 €9.14
-13.63%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$3.43 €3.07
-17.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.42
$3.36 €3.02
-74.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.66
$3.24 €2.91
-84.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$5.24 €4.70
-51.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$4.54 €4.07
-18.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Kaunas
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.61 €1.45
3.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.32
$1.72 €1.54
-15.12%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$2.26 €2.02
-33.63%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$3.24 €2.91
-35.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$14.95 €13.40
27.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$8.13 €7.29
-59.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$13.49 €12.09
-19.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.9
$1.59 €1.42
84.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$1.49 €1.34
13.42%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$2.18 €1.95
3.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$3.36 €3.01
-38.10%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$0.91 €0.81
65.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.54
$0.94 €0.84
46.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.97
$1.82 €1.63
-41.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.51
$0.93 €0.83
-44.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$6.25 €5.60
-32.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$10.03 €8.98
87.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.74 €1.56
4.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$2.15 €1.93
32.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Kaunas
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.00
$1.15 €1.03
26.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,912
$31.91 €28.60
77.56%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$1.14 €1.02
164.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.34
$0.89 €0.80
14.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$15.76 €14.12
-76.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.78
$2.01 €1.80
-26.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.7K
$27.8K €24.9K
-3.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.8K
$28.1K €25.1K
-4.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Kaunas
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,252
$196 €176
-50.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$15.98 €14.32
-29.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$15.68 €14.05
7.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Kaunas
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,269
$32.37 €29.01
107.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$27.72 €24.84
-61.29%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$11.93 €10.69
-37.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Kaunas
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$643 €576
-25.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.1K
$8,792 €7,879
28.11%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Kaunas
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,105
$85.8 €76.9
-27.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$40.41 €36.22
-29.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,182
$119 €107
-20.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,896
$162 €145
-47.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Kaunas
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$710 €636
0.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$490 €439
0.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$1,056 €946
82.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$698 €626
104.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.9K
$3,369 €3,019
23.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$2,272 €2,036
33.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Kaunas
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$1,718 €1,540
-70.77%
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 Kaunas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Kaunas
$490 0.2% $1.2
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Kaunas
$280 5.1% $14
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Kaunas
$228 83.1% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Kaunas
$183 50.5% $62
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Kaunas
$230 88.7% $108
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Kaunas
$56 31.6% $26
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Kaunas
$42 40.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $710 in Kaunas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaunas pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $67 in Kaunas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $280 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇱🇹 Kaunas
🕒 Local time
11:02 11:02 AM
06:02 6:02 AM
5 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
315,993
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Kaunas 8,300 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Kaunas

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 Kaunas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Phuket or Kaunas?
Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Kaunas. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Phuket or in Kaunas?
On paper, salaries run 71% 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.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Phuket compared to Kaunas?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $710 in Kaunas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do dining costs compare in Phuket and in Kaunas?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $67 in Kaunas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
How much does it cost to live in Phuket compared to Kaunas?
All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,509 in Kaunas – Phuket is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Phuket or in Kaunas?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,509 in Kaunas, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kaunas. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Phuket or Kaunas?
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.
How safe is Phuket compared to Kaunas?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Kaunas are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Should I move to Phuket or to Kaunas?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Kaunas on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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