Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Niksic

For one person, living is cheaper in Niksic: $968 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Niksic
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Niksic Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Niksic

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Niksic

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $968 in Niksic.

Phuket $1,190
Niksic $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $1,458 in Niksic.

Phuket $2,006
Niksic $1,458

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $1,947 in Niksic.

Phuket $2,822
Niksic $1,947

Living in Phuket is roughly 23% more expensive than in Niksic, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Niksic 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$8.03 €7.17

-45.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$30.25 €27.00

7.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$5.62 €5.02

49.82%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$1.71 €1.53

64.33%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.94 €1.73

-55.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$1.11 €0.99

-58.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.93 €1.72

34.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$2.28 €2.04

59.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.10 €0.98

55.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.88 €0.78

64.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.97 €1.76

-20.81%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$3.04 €2.71

-30.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$7.64 €6.81

155.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$6.12 €5.47

-44.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$10.76 €9.60

3.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$1.09 €0.98

159.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.24 €1.10

30.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.33 €1.19

66.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$2.08 €1.86

3.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.94 €0.84

58.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$1.02 €0.91

30.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.05 €0.93

1.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.86 €0.76

-40.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$4.17 €3.73

5.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$4.99 €4.45

276.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$0.98 €0.88

77.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$1.12 €1.00

148.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$1.09 €0.98

99.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$33.16 €29.60

-32.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$0.58 €0.52

420.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.58 €0.52

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$7.21 €6.44

-48.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.72 €1.53

-16.86%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$21.4K €19.1K

23.24%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$26.1K €23.3K

0.39%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$120 €107

-19.57%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$22.98 €20.50

-50.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$24.09 €21.49

-28.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$34.15 €30.48

54.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$10.40 €9.28

6.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$5.54 €4.94

38.09%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$82.1 €73.2

576.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$4,484 €4,002

151.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$83.9 €74.9

-24.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$31.47 €28.09

-9.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$89.1 €79.5

8.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$110 €98.6

-19.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$425 €379

73.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$268 €239

70.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$602 €537

249.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$416 €371

185.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$1,635 €1,459

113.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$1,210 €1,080

105.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$808 €721

-37.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.5

1.27%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Niksic: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Niksic

$268 27.3% 41.5% $190

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Niksic

$191 19.4% 28.9% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Niksic

$167 17% 33.6% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Niksic

$142 14.4% 13.6% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Niksic

$128 13% 7.4% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Niksic

$45 4.6% 33.6% $23

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Niksic

$41 4.2% 4.5% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $425 in Niksic. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Niksic pays 61% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $30.00 in Niksic for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $191 per month, with Niksic cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇪 Niksic

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

10:17 10:17 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

56,970

💱 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 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 Niksic 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Niksic

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 Niksic: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Niksic differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,190 vs $968 including rent). Niksic is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 61% lower in Niksic. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $735 in Phuket versus $425 in Niksic. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,190 per month in Phuket versus $968 in Niksic – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Niksic runs roughly 49% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $968 in Niksic versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Niksic but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Niksic the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Niksic 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 Niksic gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.