Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Kuressaare

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,492 in Kuressaare, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
71

Cost of Living Index in Kuressaare
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Kuressaare Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Kuressaare

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Kuressaare

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $1,492 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Kuressaare $1,492

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $2,208 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Kuressaare $2,208

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $2,925 in Kuressaare, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Kuressaare $2,925

Phuket is about 13% cheaper than Kuressaare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while Kuressaare is 10% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$13.51 €12.05

-67.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$66.4 €59.2

-51.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$8.72 €7.78

-0.23%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$4.00 €3.57

-32.00%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$3.46 €3.09

-73.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.80 €2.50

-82.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$6.40 €5.71

-60.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$5.61 €5.00

-35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.24 €1.11

40.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.90 €1.70

-23.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.30 €2.05

-34.78%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.98 €2.65

-27.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$12.49 €11.14

52.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$8.59 €7.66

-60.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$15.04 €13.42

-27.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$1.76 €1.57

67.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.44 €1.29

17.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.52 €2.25

-13.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$2.97 €2.65

-28.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.04 €0.93

40.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$0.89 €0.80

53.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$1.87 €1.66

-42.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$1.20 €1.07

-54.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$6.62 €5.91

-33.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$10.14 €9.05

79.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.87 €1.67

-5.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.16 €1.92

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$2.28 €2.04

-36.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$28.06 €25.03

95.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.66 €3.26

-58.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$0.99 €0.89

-21.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$27.01 €24.10

-85.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$2.00 €1.78

-25.50%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$27.5K €24.5K

-2.08%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$29.3K €26.1K

-10.10%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$310 €276

-68.44%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$11.33 €10.10

-0.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$36.43 €32.50

-52.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$33.12 €29.55

106.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$11.54 €10.29

-35.62%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$475 €424

11.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$11.9K €10.7K

57.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$109 €97.0

-43.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$48.38 €43.15

-41.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$104 €93.1

-7.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$120 €107

-27.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$511 €455

41.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$329 €293

54.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$657 €586

196.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$495 €441

182.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$4,044 €3,607

3.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$2,476 €2,208

33.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$1,280 €1,141

-61.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.93

41.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kuressaare: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Kuressaare

$329 22.1% 35.3% $180

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Kuressaare

$281 18.8% 5.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Kuressaare

$358 24% 183% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Kuressaare

$171 11.5% 39.7% $49

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Kuressaare

$251 16.8% 110% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Kuressaare

$56 3.8% 32.4% $27

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Kuressaare

$46 3.1% 30.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $511 in Kuressaare. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kuressaare are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $66 in Kuressaare. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $281 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇪 Kuressaare

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

04:01 4:01 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

15,170

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Phuket Kuressaare 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Kuressaare

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 Kuressaare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kuressaare is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $2,238 in Kuressaare. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuressaare, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,294 in Phuket and $1,492 in Kuressaare. That makes Phuket about 13% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Kuressaare. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,294 in Phuket to $1,492 in Kuressaare. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

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