Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Matera

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,484 in Matera, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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 Matera
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Matera Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Matera

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,484 in Matera, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Matera $1,484

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,356 in Matera, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Matera $2,356

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,227 in Matera, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Matera $3,227

Phuket is about 14% cheaper than Matera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 6% below the global median, while Matera is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.29 €13.70

-70.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$60.7 €54.3

-46.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.34 €10.16

-22.31%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.88 €1.68

50.53%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.27 €2.03

-61.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.09 €0.97

-55.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.74 €5.14

-55.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.31 €2.97

11.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.58 €1.41

5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.72 €1.54

-15.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.28 €2.94

-54.27%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.52 €3.15

-40.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$15.39 €13.79

23.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$12.28 €11.00

-73.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$20.84 €18.67

-47.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.63 €2.36

11.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.16 €1.94

-21.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.13 €1.01

99.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.80 €3.41

-45.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.78 €1.60

-15.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.64 €1.47

-15.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.46 €1.31

-26.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.47 €0.42

10.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.75 €6.05

-37.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.34 €5.68

196.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.84 €1.65

-1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.11 €2.79

-8.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.72 €1.54

-15.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$20.20 €18.09

180.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.43 €3.96

-31.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.19 €1.07

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$23.74 €21.26

-84.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.02 €1.81

-27.23%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$35.1K €31.5K

-23.76%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$37.3K €33.4K

-28.53%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$197 €177

-51.21%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.37 €8.39

20.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$30.74 €27.53

-45.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$55.3 €49.56

21.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$23.43 €20.98

-54.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.94 €8.90

-24.55%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$448 €401

6.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$7,918 €7,092

42.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$67.2 €60.2

-7.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$42.87 €38.39

-33.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$105 €94.3

-10.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$135 €121

-36.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$705 €632

1.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$421 €377

16.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,025 €918

88.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$841 €753

70.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,772 €2,483

50.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,179 €2,847

-4.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,750 €1,568

-71.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.08

80.84%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Matera: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Matera

$421 28.3% 14.3% $70

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Matera

$328 22.1% 23.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Matera

$238 16% 90.9% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Matera

$158 10.6% 29.3% $36

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Matera

$228 15.3% 87.1% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Matera

$75 5.1% 8.5% $7

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Matera

$37 2.5% 46.9% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $705 in Matera. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Matera are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $61 in Matera. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $328 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Matera

🕒 Local time

07:46 7:46 AM

01:46 1:46 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

59,607

💱 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 2, 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 2, 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 Matera 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Matera

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 Matera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matera costs about 16% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $2,227 in Matera. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $716 in Phuket and $705 in Matera. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Matera. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $448 in Matera. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,484 in Matera. 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, Matera makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.