Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Krakow

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,811 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
Learn more

Krakow Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Krakow

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,811 in Krakow.

Phuket $1,190
Krakow $1,811

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $2,597 in Krakow.

Phuket $2,006
Krakow $2,597

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $3,383 in Krakow.

Phuket $2,822
Krakow $3,383

Living in Phuket costs roughly 34% less than in Krakow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Krakow is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$11.89 zł 46.46

-63.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$50.2 zł 196

-35.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$9.96 zł 38.92

-15.46%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$4.12 zł 16.09

-31.80%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$2.57 zł 10.05

-66.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$2.44 zł 9.52

-81.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$4.57 zł 17.88

-43.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$4.56 zł 17.84

-20.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.06 zł 4.13

61.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.47 zł 5.74

-1.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.69 zł 6.62

-7.69%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$3.95 zł 15.42

-46.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$9.31 zł 36.37

109.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$7.75 zł 30.29

-56.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$13.20 zł 51.6

-15.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$1.34 zł 5.23

111.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.69 zł 6.62

-4.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.76 zł 6.86

26.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$3.06 zł 11.95

-29.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.92 zł 3.61

61.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.98 zł 3.83

35.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.23 zł 4.81

-13.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.80 zł 3.13

-36.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$6.22 zł 24.33

-29.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$6.30 zł 24.61

197.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.18 zł 4.63

47.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$1.77 zł 6.90

57.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$1.50 zł 5.86

44.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$33.54 zł 131

-33.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$2.28 zł 8.91

32.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.99 zł 3.88

7.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$12.22 zł 47.78

-69.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.69 zł 6.62

-15.38%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$30.4K zł 119.0K

-13.47%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$28.9K zł 112.9K

-9.30%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$333 zł 1,301

-70.97%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$8.71 zł 34.03

31.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$17.32 zł 67.7

-1.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$45.70 zł 179

15.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$25.11 zł 98.2

-55.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$8.69 zł 33.95

-11.97%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$463 zł 1,808

19.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$9,594 zł 37.5K

17.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$99.1 zł 387

-35.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$40.31 zł 158

-29.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$90.3 zł 353

7.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$119 zł 464

-25.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$946 zł 3,698

-22.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$717 zł 2,804

-36.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$1,440 zł 5,629

45.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$1,136 zł 4,439

4.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$5,602 zł 21.9K

-37.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$3,540 zł 13.8K

-29.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$1,855 zł 7,250

-72.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.62

-15.86%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Krakow: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Krakow

$717 39.8% 56.6% $259

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Krakow

$235 13% 12.5% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Krakow

$359 19.9% 187% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Krakow

$157 8.7% 25.6% $32

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Krakow

$226 12.6% 89.8% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Krakow

$63 3.5% 7.4% $5

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Krakow

$47 2.6% 19.2% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $946 in Krakow. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow pays 270% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $50.0 in Krakow. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $235, with Krakow cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇱 Krakow

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

16:27 4:27 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

806,201

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Krakow 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Krakow

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 Krakow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 52% lower than in Krakow. 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 270% lower in Krakow. 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: $735 in Phuket versus $946 in Krakow. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Krakow pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $50.0 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,811 in Krakow, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Krakow. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,190 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Krakow are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.