Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Marsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,871 in Marsa, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Marsa
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Marsa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Marsa

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,871

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Marsa

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $2,871 in Marsa, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Marsa $2,871

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $3,976 in Marsa, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Marsa $3,976

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $5,081 in Marsa, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Marsa $5,081

Phuket is about 55% cheaper than Marsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Marsa is 111% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$19.41 €17.38

-76.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$85.2 €76.3

-61.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.67 €12.24

-35.55%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.69 €2.41

5.20%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.28 €2.04

-61.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.27 €2.03

-78.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.58 €4.10

-44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.53 €2.26

45.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.36 €1.22

22.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.29 €1.16

13.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$4.22 €3.78

-64.45%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.33 €3.88

-51.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.43 €7.55

126.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.25 €9.18

-67.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$18.47 €16.54

-40.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$4.27 €3.83

-31.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.69 €2.41

-37.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$3.55 €3.18

-36.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.27 €2.93

-36.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.25 €2.02

-32.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.87 €1.67

-26.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$2.27 €2.03

-52.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.31 €1.17

-60.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.85 €6.14

-38.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.36 €7.49

124.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.63 €1.46

11.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.33 €2.09

21.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.75 €5.15

-47.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.29 €2.05

-55.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$26.56 €23.78

-86.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.47 €1.32

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$37.4K €33.5K

-28.36%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$38.4K €34.4K

-30.41%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$103 €92.6

-6.80%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.97 €22.36

-54.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$42.87 €38.39

-60.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.19 €9.13

-26.40%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$372 €333

27.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$11.2K €9,991

0.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$86.1 €77.1

-27.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$39.89 €35.72

-28.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$101 €90.7

-6.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$77.4 €69.3

10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$2,481 €2,222

-71.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,925 €1,724

-74.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,271 €2,034

-15.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,758 €2,470

-48.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$3,229 €2,892

-84.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.9

92.07%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Marsa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Marsa

$1.9K 67.1% 292% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Marsa

$326 11.3% 22.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Marsa

$171 6% 37.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Marsa

$137 4.8% 12.5% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Marsa

$275 9.6% 126% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Marsa

$20 * 0.7% 75.2% $62

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Marsa

$17 * 0.6% 75.7% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $2,481 in Marsa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Marsa are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $85 in Marsa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $326 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇹 Marsa

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

14:40 2:40 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,000

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Marsa 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Marsa

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 Marsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marsa is pricier by about 125%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $4,307 in Marsa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $2,481 in Marsa.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $2,871 in Marsa. That makes Phuket about 55% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $372 in Marsa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Marsa at $2,871. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marsa it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $2,871 in Marsa. 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, Marsa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.