Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kos

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,506 in Kos, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
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Kos Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,506 in Kos.

Phuket $1,278
Kos $1,506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,265 in Kos.

Phuket $2,216
Kos $2,265

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,024 in Kos.

Phuket $3,154
Kos $3,024

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$13.93 €12.48

-67.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$66.4 €59.5

-51.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.25 €10.08

-21.69%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$4.01 €3.60

-29.43%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$3.09 €2.77

-71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.11 €0.99

-55.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$4.34 €3.89

-41.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.53 €5.85

-43.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.42 €2.17

-31.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.62 €1.45

-9.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.61 €2.34

-42.53%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$4.61 €4.13

-54.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$13.08 €11.72

45.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.17 €9.11

-67.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.05 €13.49

-27.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.20 €1.97

33.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.00 €1.80

-15.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.36 €1.22

65.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.04 €1.83

1.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.13 €1.01

33.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.14 €1.02

21.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.09 €0.98

-1.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.84 €0.76

-38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$5.39 €4.83

-22.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$6.76 €6.06

177.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$2.01 €1.81

-9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.56 €2.29

10.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.83 €1.64

-20.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$49.85 €44.67

13.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.09 €3.67

-26.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.13 €1.02

-9.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$16.47 €14.76

-77.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$2.09 €1.88

-29.67%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$28.0K €25.1K

-4.24%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$25.1K €22.5K

6.29%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$201 €181

-52.18%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.92 €20.54

-50.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$34.73 €31.12

-51.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$50.6 €45.37

32.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$28.52 €25.55

-62.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.80 €7.88

-14.77%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$417 €374

14.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$9,025 €8,087

24.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$89.0 €79.7

-29.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$40.15 €35.98

-29.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$92.5 €82.9

1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$123 €110

-29.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$610 €547

17.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$420 €376

16.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$715 €641

169.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$587 €526

143.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$2,594 €2,324

60.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$2,012 €1,803

51.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$902 €808

-44.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.48

24.33%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kos: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Kos

$420 27.9% 14.4% $71

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Kos

$292 19.4% 9.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Kos

$259 17.2% 108% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kos

$155 10.3% 27% $33

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Kos

$245 16.3% 101% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Kos

$68 4.5% 17% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Kos

$67 4.4% 5.2% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $610 in Kos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kos pays 80% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $66 in Kos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $292 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇷 Kos

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

02:12 2:12 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

30,947

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Kos 7,820 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kos

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 Kos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Kos. 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 44% 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 $610 in Kos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $66 in Kos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,506 in Kos – Phuket is about 15% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,506 in Kos, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Kos. 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 Kos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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