Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lohja

For one person, living is cheaper in Lohja: $981 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,208
/mo nomad
Lohja
🇫🇮 Finland
$981
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lohja

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $981 in Lohja, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,208
  • Lohja $981

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $2,121 in Lohja, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,027
  • Lohja $2,121

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $3,260 in Lohja, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,845
  • Lohja $3,260

Phuket costs about 23% more than Lohja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Lohja are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Lohja 28% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Lohja
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.40 ฿147
$13.40 €11.91
-67.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.26 ฿1,078
$61.7 €54.9
-47.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.76 ฿293
$11.81 €10.50
-25.83%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿94.5
$4.76 €4.23
-40.55%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 ฿30.14
$2.95 €2.62
-69.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ฿15.56
$1.92 €1.71
-75.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 ฿85.2
$7.74 €6.88
-67.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$6.80 €6.05
-43.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Lohja
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 ฿57.7
$1.21 €1.07
42.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.47 ฿49.11
$2.30 €2.05
-36.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 ฿50.6
$2.49 €2.21
-39.36%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$2.66 €2.37
-18.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.70 ฿658
$8.79 €7.82
124.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.34 ฿112
$13.58 €12.08
-75.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 ฿373
$16.53 €14.70
-32.49%
Apples (1kg)
$2.85 ฿95.1
$2.18 €1.94
30.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 ฿56.9
$2.11 €1.88
-19.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.3
$1.10 €0.98
99.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 ฿68.4
$3.97 €3.54
-48.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.45 ฿48.57
$1.28 €1.14
13.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.16
$1.91 €1.70
-27.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.69
$2.78 €2.47
-61.51%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.91
$2.08 €1.85
-75.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$12.80 €11.39
-66.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.58 ฿621
$16.22 €14.43
14.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 ฿59.7
$3.19 €2.84
-44.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.2
$3.25 €2.89
-12.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Lohja
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.26 ฿75.6
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.10 ฿738
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.01 ฿101
$4.39 €3.91
-31.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 ฿35.34
$1.30 €1.16
-18.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.86 ฿129
$67.5 €60.0
-94.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.45
$1.93 €1.72
-24.87%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.3K ฿879.9K
$37.0K €33.0K
-28.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿900.4K
$37.3K €33.2K
-27.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Lohja
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,221
$77.1 €68.6
24.94%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.04 ฿369
$24.87 €22.12
-55.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.14 ฿573
$22.54 €20.05
-23.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Lohja
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.2 ฿1,744
$33.22 €29.55
57.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.16 ฿373
$16.29 €14.49
-31.49%
Cinema Ticket
$7.81 ฿261
$15.85 €14.10
-50.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Lohja
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$556 ฿18.6K
$331 €295
67.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K ฿387.0K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Lohja
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$64.2 ฿2,146
$95.5 €84.9
-32.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.69 ฿959
$33.60 €29.89
-14.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.4 ฿3,187
$79.2 €70.4
20.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.0 ฿2,940
$155 €138
-43.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Lohja
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$737 ฿24.6K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$462 ฿15.5K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,095 ฿70.0K
$1,123 €999
86.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,201 ฿40.1K
$961 €855
24.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,488 ฿116.6K
$1,338 €1,190
160.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,523 ฿84.3K
$1,133 €1,008
122.68%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Lohja
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$501 ฿16.7K
$3,304 €2,939
-84.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.51
58.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lohja: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$462
Lohja
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$269
Lohja
$346 28.8% $77
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$125
Lohja
$125 0% $0
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Lohja
$164 31.6% $39
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Lohja
$271 124% $150
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$68
Lohja
$65 4.2% $2.9
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Lohja
$11 * 72.4% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 560% higher in Lohja, 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $62.0 in Lohja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $346 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇫🇮 Lohja
🕒 Local time
01:36 1:36 AM
21:36 9:36 PM
4 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
45,654
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Lohja 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Lohja

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 Lohja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lohja cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket and $1,472 in Lohja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Lohja?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,208 in Phuket and $981 in Lohja. That's a gap of about 23%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket and $331 in Lohja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Lohja?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Lohja, where all-in costs run around $981, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Lohja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Phuket or Lohja more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Lohja – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Lohja?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Lohja. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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