Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lushnje

For one person, living is cheaper in Lushnje: $1,188 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Lushnje
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Lushnje Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Lushnje

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lushnje

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,188 in Lushnje.

Phuket $1,278
Lushnje $1,188

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,844 in Lushnje.

Phuket $2,216
Lushnje $1,844

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,500 in Lushnje.

Phuket $3,154
Lushnje $2,500

Living in Phuket is roughly 8% more expensive than in Lushnje, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Lushnje 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.13 ALL 820

-55.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$55.5 ALL 4,497

-41.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.28 ALL 914

-21.90%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.32 ALL 188

21.98%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$2.44 ALL 198

-64.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$1.32 ALL 107

-62.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$3.51 ALL 284

-27.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.98 ALL 322

-7.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.22 ALL 180

-25.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.17 ALL 94.7

24.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.44 ALL 197

-38.52%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$3.83 ALL 310

-45.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$12.75 ALL 1,033

49.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.19 ALL 744

-64.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.02 ALL 1,379

-35.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.99 ALL 161

47.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.39 ALL 193

-29.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.13 ALL 172

5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.83 ALL 149

13.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$1.06 ALL 85.9

42.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.26 ALL 102

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$1.44 ALL 116

-25.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.75 ALL 60.5

-30.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.89 ALL 396

-14.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$10.42 ALL 845

80.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.58 ALL 128

15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.04 ALL 166

39.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.48 ALL 38.54

202.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$19.37 ALL 1,570

192.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.77 ALL 306

-19.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$3.63 ALL 294

-71.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$18.76 ALL 1,520

-80.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$2.35 ALL 191

-37.45%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$33.4K ALL 2.7M

-19.92%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$29.1K ALL 2.4M

-8.17%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$101 ALL 8,149

-4.22%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.53 ALL 1,501

-39.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$20.11 ALL 1,629

-16.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$52.0 ALL 4,208

29.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.64 ALL 781

-22.20%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$348 ALL 28.2K

36.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$8,247 ALL 668.1K

36.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$50.2 ALL 4,070

24.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$47.65 ALL 3,860

-40.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$121 ALL 9,825

-22.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$114 ALL 9,201

-24.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$487 ALL 39.5K

46.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$312 ALL 25.3K

57.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$699 ALL 56.6K

175.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$463 ALL 37.5K

209.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$1,988 ALL 161.1K

109.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,201 ALL 97.3K

153.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$616 ALL 49.9K

-18.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.16

7.95%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lushnje: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Lushnje

$312 26.3% 36.4% $179

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Lushnje

$289 24.4% 8.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Lushnje

$139 11.7% 11.9% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lushnje

$150 12.6% 22.8% $28

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Lushnje

$183 15.4% 50.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Lushnje

$71 6% 13.4% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Lushnje

$43 3.6% 38.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $487 in Lushnje. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lushnje pays 23% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $56 in Lushnje for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $289 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇱 Lushnje

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

31,105

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 81.01 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.7 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lushnje 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lushnje

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 Lushnje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lushnje wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Lushnje the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 18% 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 $487 in Lushnje. 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 $56 in Lushnje. 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 $1,188 in Lushnje – Lushnje is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Lushnje is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Lushnje are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.