Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Medea

For one person, living is cheaper in Medea: $453 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Medea
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Medea Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Medea

🇩🇿 Algeria

$453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Medea

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $453 in Medea, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Medea $453

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $778 in Medea, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Medea $778

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $1,103 in Medea, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Medea $1,103

Phuket costs about 182% more than Medea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Medea are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 6% lower, Medea 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$1.91 DZD 258

134.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$28.37 DZD 3,835

14.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$3.80 DZD 514

131.84%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$0.36 DZD 49.22

686.11%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$0.43 DZD 58.2

102.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.21 DZD 27.71

133.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$2.19 DZD 296

16.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.18 DZD 295

68.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.88 DZD 119

88.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.08 DZD 10.18

1725.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.10 DZD 148

36.36%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$1.19 DZD 161

75.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$7.91 DZD 1,069

141.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.93 DZD 531

-16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.49 DZD 1,959

-24.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.04 DZD 275

43.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.77 DZD 374

-38.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.07 DZD 144

110.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.60 DZD 80.7

246.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.62 DZD 83.2

143.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.49 DZD 66.0

181.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.81 DZD 110

32.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.27 DZD 36.52

92.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$2.16 DZD 292

94.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$6.84 DZD 924

174.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.28 DZD 172

42.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.87 DZD 253

51.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.23 DZD 30.49

530.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$6.89 DZD 932

722.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.54 DZD 73.6

459.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.46 DZD 62.3

121.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$5.55 DZD 750

-33.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$0.32 DZD 43.89

359.37%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$19.7K DZD 2.7M

36.04%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$34.4K DZD 4.7M

-22.50%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$18.29 DZD 2,472

426.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$7.51 DZD 1,015

49.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$12.12 DZD 1,638

39.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$22.61 DZD 3,056

197.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$1.89 DZD 256

467.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.27 DZD 442

129.36%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$39.39 DZD 5,325

1108.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$6,300 DZD 851.5K

78.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$19.54 DZD 2,641

219.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$31.20 DZD 4,216

-8.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$31.23 DZD 4,221

201.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$54.9 DZD 7,414

56.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$141 DZD 19.1K

406.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$91.6 DZD 12.4K

435.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$268 DZD 36.2K

619.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$197 DZD 26.7K

624.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$990 DZD 133.7K

321.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$1,059 DZD 143.1K

187.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$311 DZD 42.1K

61.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Medea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Medea

$92 20.3% 81.3% $399

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Medea

$173 38.2% 35.1% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Medea

$38 8.4% 69.5% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Medea

$62 13.6% 49.5% $60

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Medea

$49 10.8% 59.8% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Medea

$29 6.4% 64.6% $53

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Medea

$11 2.4% 84.9% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $141 in Medea. 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 61% higher in Phuket, 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 in Phuket versus $28 in Medea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $173 – making Medea the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇩🇿 Medea

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

09:37 9:37 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

138,355

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, 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).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Medea 9,990 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Medea

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 Medea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 182%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Phuket and $679 in Medea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Medea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $141 there versus $716 in Phuket.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $28 in Medea. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Phuket and $453 in Medea. That makes Medea about 65% cheaper.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Medea, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Medea it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Medea – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Medea. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.