Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Olbia

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,759 in Olbia, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Olbia
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Olbia Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Olbia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Olbia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,759 in Olbia.

Phuket $1,278
Olbia $1,759

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,600 in Olbia.

Phuket $2,216
Olbia $2,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,440 in Olbia.

Phuket $3,154
Olbia $3,440

Living in Phuket costs roughly 27% less than in Olbia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Olbia is 29% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.01 €19.64

-79.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$85.1 €75.9

-61.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.96 €8.89

-11.55%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.84 €1.65

53.80%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$3.27 €2.92

-73.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.48 €1.32

-66.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.44 €3.06

-25.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.37 €3.01

9.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.59 €1.42

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$2.00 €1.79

-27.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.57 €2.29

-41.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.72 €3.32

-43.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$16.23 €14.48

17.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.45 €10.22

-71.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.55 €15.65

-37.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.25 €2.01

30.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.84 €1.64

-8.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.34 €2.08

-3.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.74 €2.45

-24.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.42 €1.27

6.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.36 €1.22

1.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.55 €1.38

-30.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.39 €0.35

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.81 €6.07

-38.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.43 €7.52

122.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.61 €1.43

13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.61 €1.43

76.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$1.36 €1.22

6.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

$16.74 €14.94

238.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$9.39 €8.38

-67.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.48 €1.32

-31.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$31.14 €27.78

-88.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.99 €1.78

-26.13%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$35.7K €31.9K

-25.03%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$35.0K €31.2K

-23.73%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$160 €142

-39.63%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$8.90 €7.94

26.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$26.88 €23.98

-37.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$36.18 €32.28

85.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$27.77 €24.77

-61.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$11.10 €9.91

-32.43%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$320 €286

48.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$8,200 €7,316

37.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$97.4 €86.9

-35.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$41.83 €37.32

-32.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$91.1 €81.2

3.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$116 €103

-25.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$882 €787

-18.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$729 €650

-32.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,339 €1,195

43.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$946 €844

51.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

$3,234 €2,886

29.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,590 €2,311

17.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,909 €1,704

-73.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.27

70.34%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Olbia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Olbia

$729 41.4% 48.5% $238

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Olbia

$311 17.7% 16.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Olbia

$195 11.1% 57% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Olbia

$156 8.9% 27.8% $34

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Olbia

$271 15.4% 123% $149

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Olbia

$58 3.3% 29% $24

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Olbia

$39 2.2% 44.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $882 in Olbia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Olbia pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $85 in Olbia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $311 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Olbia

🕒 Local time

00:33 12:33 AM

18:33 6:33 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

56,512

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Olbia 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Olbia

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 Olbia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Olbia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in Phuket. 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: $716 in Phuket versus $882 in Olbia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $320 in Olbia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Olbia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,759 in Olbia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Olbia. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 Olbia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Olbia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.