Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Messina

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,379 in Messina, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Messina despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Messina
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Messina Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Messina

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Messina

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Phuket vs $1,379 in Messina, rent included.

Phuket $1,278
Messina $1,379

A couple spends around $2,216 per month in Phuket vs $2,392 in Messina, rent included.

Phuket $2,216
Messina $2,392

A family of three spends $3,154 per month in Phuket vs $3,404 in Messina, rent included.

Phuket $3,154
Messina $3,404

Phuket is about 7% cheaper than Messina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.90 €15.14

-73.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$67.8 €60.7

-52.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.41 €11.12

-29.01%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.97 €1.77

43.65%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.36 €2.11

-63.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.19 €1.07

-58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$4.55 €4.07

-43.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.33 €2.98

10.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.30 €1.17

27.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.84 €1.65

-20.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.74 €2.45

-45.26%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.89 €2.58

-27.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$14.49 €12.97

31.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.55 €9.45

-68.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.82 €15.06

-35.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.91 €2.61

0.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.65 €1.47

2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.14 €1.02

97.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.40 €3.04

-38.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.65 €0.58

132.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.52 €1.36

-9.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.42 €1.27

-24.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.40 €0.36

30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.87 €6.15

-38.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.75 €5.15

226.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.67 €1.50

8.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.32 €2.08

22.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$1.65 €1.47

-12.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$41.21 €36.91

37.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.72 €5.12

-47.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.14 €1.02

-10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$38.73 €34.68

-90.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.05 €1.84

-28.29%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$34.9K €31.3K

-23.36%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$31.2K €28.0K

-14.53%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$178 €159

-45.79%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.17 €9.11

10.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$25.62 €22.94

-34.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$46.70 €41.83

43.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$16.57 €14.84

-35.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.57 €8.58

-21.63%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$337 €302

41.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$5,512 €4,936

104.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$71.2 €63.8

-12.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$30.95 €27.72

-8.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$86.9 €77.8

8.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$125 €112

-31.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$522 €468

37.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$373 €334

31.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,199 €1,074

60.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,096 €981

30.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,011 €1,801

107.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,655 €1,482

83.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,675 €1,500

-70.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.39

64.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Messina: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Messina

$373 27.1% 24% $118

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Messina

$287 20.8% 7.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Messina

$214 15.5% 71.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Messina

$142 10.3% 16.1% $20

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Messina

$240 17.4% 97% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Messina

$66 4.8% 19.9% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Messina

$59 4.3% 16.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Phuket versus $522 in Messina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Messina are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $68 in Messina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $287 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Messina

🕒 Local time

03:17 3:17 AM

21:17 9:17 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

217,734

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Messina 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Messina

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 Messina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Messina costs about 8% 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 $2,069 in Messina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Messina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $522 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Kindergarten costs $476 per month in Phuket and $337 in Messina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Messina, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,379 in Messina. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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