Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Nis

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,033 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Nis

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Phuket vs $1,033 in Nis, rent included.

Phuket $1,190
Nis $1,033

A couple spends around $2,006 per month in Phuket vs $1,512 in Nis, rent included.

Phuket $2,006
Nis $1,512

A family of three spends $2,822 per month in Phuket vs $1,991 in Nis, rent included.

Phuket $2,822
Nis $1,991

Phuket costs about 15% more than Nis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Nis are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Nis 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$8.78 RSD 915

-50.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$33.92 RSD 3,533

-4.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$9.57 RSD 997

-12.02%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$1.97 RSD 206

42.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$2.31 RSD 241

-62.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$1.74 RSD 181

-73.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.61 RSD 377

-28.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$4.49 RSD 468

-18.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$1.14 RSD 119

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$0.70 RSD 73.0

107.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.76 RSD 183

-11.36%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$2.35 RSD 245

-10.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$7.65 RSD 797

155.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$5.72 RSD 596

-40.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$10.59 RSD 1,103

5.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$1.11 RSD 116

154.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.68 RSD 175

-3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.50 RSD 157

48.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$2.17 RSD 226

-0.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.78 RSD 81.6

91.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.72 RSD 74.5

84.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$0.64 RSD 66.4

67.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.58 RSD 60.4

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$4.42 RSD 460

-0.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$5.78 RSD 602

224.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$0.72 RSD 75.1

141.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$1.29 RSD 134

115.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$1.84 RSD 192

64.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$0.66 RSD 68.6

60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$8.29 RSD 864

-55.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.89 RSD 197

-24.34%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

-14.31%

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

$24.0K RSD 2.5M

9.28%

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$160 RSD 16.7K

-39.76%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$19.03 RSD 1,982

-40.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$22.20 RSD 2,312

-22.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$30.54 RSD 3,181

72.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$15.65 RSD 1,630

-29.27%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$4.68 RSD 488

63.46%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$252 RSD 26.3K

119.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

$4,989 RSD 519.7K

126.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$88.4 RSD 9,213

-28.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

$37.42 RSD 3,898

-23.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$99.3 RSD 10.3K

-2.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$112 RSD 11.6K

-20.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$398 RSD 41.4K

84.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$277 RSD 28.9K

65.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$591 RSD 61.6K

255.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$397 RSD 41.4K

198.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$2,531 RSD 263.6K

38.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

$1,884 RSD 196.3K

32.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$901 RSD 93.8K

-44.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.12

8.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Nis: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Nis

$277 27.1% 39.5% $181

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Nis

$182 17.8% 32.2% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Nis

$202 19.7% 61.1% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Nis

$152 14.8% 21.5% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Nis

$166 16.2% 39.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Nis

$40 3.9% 41.4% $28

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Nis

$5.1 * 0.5% 86.9% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $735 in Phuket versus $398 in Nis. 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 80% higher in Nis, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $34.00 in Nis. Groceries tell a different story – $268 in Phuket vs $182 in Nis – so Nis wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇷🇸 Nis

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

08:42 8:42 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

78,470

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR 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).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Nis 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Nis

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 Nis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 15% more than Nis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,785 per month in Phuket and $1,549 in Nis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,190 in Phuket and $1,033 in Nis. That's a gap of about 15%.

Kindergarten costs $555 per month in Phuket and $252 in Nis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nis, where all-in costs run around $1,033, than in Phuket at $1,190. In Nis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nis costs $1,033 versus $1,190 in Phuket. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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