Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kavadarci

For one person, living is cheaper in Kavadarci: $768 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Kavadarci
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Kavadarci Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Kavadarci

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kavadarci

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $768 in Kavadarci, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Kavadarci $768

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $1,168 in Kavadarci, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Kavadarci $1,168

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $1,568 in Kavadarci, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Kavadarci $1,568

Phuket costs about 69% more than Kavadarci, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Kavadarci are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Kavadarci 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$5.35 MKD 292

-17.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,080

$27.40 MKD 1,493

17.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿291

$3.57 MKD 194

143.70%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.1

$1.45 MKD 78.9

87.59%

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

$0.93 ฿31.11

$1.10 MKD 59.8

-15.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.70

$0.72 MKD 39.44

-30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.6

$1.60 MKD 87.2

58.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$2.23 MKD 121

62.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.24 MKD 67.4

40.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$0.78 MKD 42.71

85.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.46 MKD 79.5

2.74%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.6

$2.35 MKD 128

-7.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿638

$7.02 MKD 383

171.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.30 MKD 343

-46.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿364

$10.39 MKD 566

4.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$0.65 MKD 35.53

352.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.6

$1.35 MKD 73.3

25.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.4

$1.16 MKD 63.4

88.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.0

$2.03 MKD 111

4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.77

$0.90 MKD 48.90

62.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.74

$0.82 MKD 44.84

67.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.98

$0.58 MKD 31.63

86.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.45 MKD 24.36

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$3.25 MKD 177

36.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿610

$3.63 MKD 198

402.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.3

$0.88 MKD 47.93

101.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.3

$1.33 MKD 72.7

116.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.40

$0.74 MKD 40.58

95.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,835

$30.39 MKD 1,655

80.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.07 MKD 58.4

41.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.94

$0.62 MKD 33.66

25.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

$3.73 MKD 203

2.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.74

$1.43 MKD 78.0

4.20%

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

$26.9K ฿898.9K

$33.4K MKD 1.8M

-19.59%

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

$26.3K ฿881.0K

$24.9K MKD 1.4M

5.77%

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

$97.8 ฿3,271

$87.4 MKD 4,760

11.96%

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

$11.29 ฿378

$8.97 MKD 489

25.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿575

$17.18 MKD 936

0.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,285

$22.13 MKD 1,206

208.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

$5.06 MKD 276

46.84%

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

$530 ฿17.7K

$364 MKD 19.8K

45.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿628.1K

$9,124 MKD 497.1K

105.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,062

$73.2 MKD 3,987

-15.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿945

$36.41 MKD 1,984

-22.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,210

$86.5 MKD 4,712

11.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,903

$113 MKD 6,151

-23.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.1K

$222 MKD 12.1K

224.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$183 MKD 9,966

178.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.2K

$370 MKD 20.2K

426.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.7K

$269 MKD 14.7K

418.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.2K

$1,232 MKD 67.1K

240.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.3K

$1,066 MKD 58.0K

209.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.4K

$576 MKD 31.4K

-14.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.23

31.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kavadarci: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Kavadarci

$183 23.8% 64.1% $326

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Kavadarci

$172 22.4% 35.7% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Kavadarci

$114 14.8% 10.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Kavadarci

$139 18.1% 13.3% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Kavadarci

$91 11.8% 24.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Kavadarci

$32 4.2% 61.2% $51

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Kavadarci

$38 4.9% 43.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $222 in Kavadarci. 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 17% higher in Kavadarci, 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 in Phuket versus $27 in Kavadarci. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $172 – making Kavadarci the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇰 Kavadarci

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

05:04 5:04 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

29,320

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MKD = 1.84 USD

100 MKD = 1.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 54.48 MKD (100 MKD = 1.84 USD). 1 EUR = 61.16 MKD (100 MKD = 1.64 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Kavadarci 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kavadarci

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 Kavadarci: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 69%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $1,151 in Kavadarci. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kavadarci, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $222 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $768 in Kavadarci. That makes Kavadarci about 41% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Kavadarci. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kavadarci, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Phuket at $1,294. In Kavadarci it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Kavadarci is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 41% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.