Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nikaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,357 in Nikaia, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Nikaia
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Nikaia Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Nikaia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,357

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nikaia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,357 in Nikaia.

Phuket $1,207
Nikaia $1,357

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,063 in Nikaia.

Phuket $2,037
Nikaia $2,063

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,769 in Nikaia.

Phuket $2,867
Nikaia $2,769

Living in Phuket costs roughly 11% less than in Nikaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Nikaia is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$11.08 €9.88

-58.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,088

$58.9 €52.5

-44.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$9.07 €8.08

-5.73%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.2

$4.19 €3.73

-35.08%

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

$0.94 ฿31.32

$2.31 €2.06

-59.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.43

$0.58 €0.52

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.8

$4.35 €3.88

-40.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.90 €4.37

-21.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.59 €1.42

9.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.92

$1.43 €1.27

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.33 €2.08

-34.33%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.8

$4.96 €4.43

-56.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿641

$11.56 €10.31

65.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$9.75 €8.69

-66.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$14.44 €12.87

-22.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.7

$2.19 €1.95

34.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.2

$1.89 €1.68

-11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.0

$1.35 €1.21

70.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.4

$1.96 €1.75

8.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$1.02 €0.91

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.64

$1.16 €1.03

17.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.52

$0.91 €0.81

23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.28

$0.85 €0.76

-35.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$5.02 €4.48

-15.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿609

$6.56 €5.85

177.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.70 €1.51

2.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.5

$2.26 €2.01

23.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.2

$0.99 €0.88

124.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿739

$44.91 €40.04

-50.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.5

$4.40 €3.92

-33.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.87

$0.98 €0.87

3.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$13.83 €12.33

-72.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$2.23 €1.99

-33.18%

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

$26.7K ฿893.5K

$27.9K €24.9K

-4.33%

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

$26.7K ฿894.5K

$23.4K €20.9K

14.02%

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

$99.4 ฿3,328

$163 €146

-39.22%

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

$11.28 ฿378

$24.06 €21.46

-53.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿581

$28.08 €25.03

-38.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,751

$45.04 €40.16

16.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿363

$23.93 €21.34

-54.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$8.87 €7.91

-14.66%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$474 €422

17.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿384.7K

$4,525 €4,034

153.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,106

$68.8 €61.3

-8.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿957

$35.86 €31.98

-20.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,220

$75.5 €67.3

27.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,949

$108 €96.2

-18.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$452 €403

61.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$413 €368

11.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.2K

$717 €639

192.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.9K

$627 €559

95.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.8K

$3,007 €2,681

15.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.4K

$1,976 €1,762

25.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.36

27.75%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Nikaia: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Nikaia

$413 30.4% 10.3% $47

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Nikaia

$269 19.8% 0.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Nikaia

$216 15.9% 68.4% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Nikaia

$130 9.6% 4.5% $5.6

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Nikaia

$209 15.4% 72.5% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Nikaia

$63 4.6% 6.9% $4.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Nikaia

$58 4.3% 49.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $452 in Nikaia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $59.0 in Nikaia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇷 Nikaia

🕒 Local time

19:56 7:56 PM

15:56 3:56 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

105,430

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 33.49 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Nikaia 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nikaia

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 Nikaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $2,036 in Nikaia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $452 in Nikaia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,207 per month in Phuket versus $1,357 in Nikaia – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 104% less than in Nikaia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,357 in Nikaia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Nikaia. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Nikaia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Nikaia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Nikaia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.