Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lucca

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,017 in Lucca, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Lucca
🇮🇹 Italy
$2,017
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lucca

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $2,017 in Lucca, rent included.

  • Phuket $1,207
  • Lucca $2,017

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $3,004 in Lucca, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,037
  • Lucca $3,004

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $3,990 in Lucca, rent included.

  • Phuket $2,867
  • Lucca $3,990

Phuket is about 40% cheaper than Lucca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 11% below the global median, while Lucca is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Lucca
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.58 ฿153
$19.78 €17.59
-76.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.48 ฿1,086
$80.6 €71.7
-59.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.55 ฿286
$11.84 €10.53
-27.79%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.0
$2.02 €1.79
34.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 ฿31.25
$3.30 €2.93
-71.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.39
$1.43 €1.27
-65.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$6.73 €5.99
-61.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$5.08 €4.52
-24.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Lucca
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.1
$1.64 €1.46
6.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ฿47.82
$2.42 €2.15
-40.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.0
$2.99 €2.66
-48.83%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$4.01 €3.56
-45.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.15 ฿640
$20.76 €18.46
-7.76%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿110
$14.43 €12.83
-77.13%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿372
$21.07 €18.74
-47.13%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 ฿98.5
$2.38 €2.12
23.95%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ฿56.1
$2.14 €1.91
-21.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 ฿76.8
$2.52 €2.24
-8.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 ฿71.3
$3.20 €2.84
-33.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.1
$1.90 €1.69
-19.47%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 ฿45.55
$2.14 €1.91
-36.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ฿37.44
$1.82 €1.62
-38.46%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.24
$0.57 €0.50
-3.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$7.05 €6.28
-39.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.19 ฿608
$7.83 €6.96
132.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.2
$1.93 €1.72
-9.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿93.3
$2.81 €2.50
-0.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Lucca
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.22 ฿74.1
$1.95 €1.74
13.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.06 ฿737
$34.12 €30.35
-35.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 ฿97.3
$4.53 €4.03
-35.76%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ฿33.79
$1.62 €1.44
-37.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.83 ฿128
$27.76 €24.69
-86.20%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.85
$2.11 €1.88
-29.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K ฿891.6K
$36.5K €32.4K
-26.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿892.7K
$34.7K €30.9K
-23.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Lucca
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.4 ฿3,321
$336 €299
-70.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.28 ฿377
$11.93 €10.62
-5.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.36 ฿580
$32.27 €28.70
-46.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Lucca
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 ฿1,747
$65.8 €58.6
-20.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.85 ฿362
$50.0 €44.47
-78.30%
Cinema Ticket
$7.57 ฿253
$9.86 €8.77
-23.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Lucca
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 ฿18.7K
$645 €574
-13.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K ฿383.9K
$11.3K €10.0K
2.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Lucca
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 ฿2,102
$101 €89.6
-37.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.58 ฿955
$47.80 €42.52
-40.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.1 ฿3,213
$90.5 €80.5
6.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.1 ฿2,943
$165 €146
-46.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Lucca
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$729 ฿24.4K
$796 €708
-8.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 ฿15.4K
$663 €589
-30.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,096 ฿70.0K
$1,431 €1,273
46.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 ฿40.8K
$1,012 €900
20.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,459 ฿115.6K
$3,989 €3,549
-13.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,489 ฿83.2K
$2,088 €1,857
19.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Lucca
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$493 ฿16.5K
$1,765 €1,570
-72.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.7
50.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lucca: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$460
Lucca
$663 44% $203
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Lucca
$372 39.1% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$128
Lucca
$380 197% $252
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Lucca
$182 46.4% $58
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Lucca
$281 131% $159
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$67
Lucca
$86 26.9% $18
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Lucca
$55 40.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $796 in Lucca. 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 258% higher in Lucca, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $81.0 in Lucca. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $372 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇹 Lucca
🕒 Local time
03:30 3:30 AM
22:30 10:30 PM
5 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
89,046
💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Lucca 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Lucca

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 Lucca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lucca cheaper than Phuket?
Yes – Lucca is pricier by about 67%, 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 $1,811 per month in Phuket and $3,026 in Lucca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Lucca?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,207 in Phuket and $2,017 in Lucca. That's a gap of about 67%.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 55% less in Phuket. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Lucca?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Lucca at $2,017. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lucca it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Phuket or Lucca more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Phuket – 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 Lucca?
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 Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lucca 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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