Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Paide

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,190 a month against $1,371 in Paide, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Paide
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Paide Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Paide

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,371

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Paide

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,371 in Paide.

Phuket $1,190
Paide $1,371

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,006 in Phuket versus $2,000 in Paide.

Phuket $2,006
Paide $2,000

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,822 in Phuket versus $2,628 in Paide.

Phuket $2,822
Paide $2,628

Living in Phuket costs roughly 13% less than in Paide, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Paide is 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 ฿146

$13.77 €12.29

-68.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.45 ฿1,087

$49.47 €44.15

-34.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.42 ฿282

$8.88 €7.92

-5.18%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ฿94.0

$4.06 €3.63

-30.79%

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

$0.87 ฿29.29

$3.65 €3.25

-76.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ฿15.39

$3.09 €2.76

-85.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$4.52 €4.04

-42.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 ฿122

$4.54 €4.05

-19.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.2

$0.96 €0.86

78.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.31 €1.17

10.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.77 €1.58

-11.86%

Eggs

$2.10 ฿70.3

$2.45 €2.19

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.53 ฿654

$8.02 €7.16

143.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$8.08 €7.21

-57.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$18.15 €16.20

-38.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 ฿94.8

$1.32 €1.18

114.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.45 €1.30

11.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ฿74.5

$1.91 €1.71

16.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿71.9

$2.61 €2.33

-17.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$0.43 €0.39

246.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.40

$0.97 €0.86

37.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.72

$1.66 €1.48

-35.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$1.39 €1.24

-63.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ฿147

$6.42 €5.73

-31.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.77 ฿629

$8.34 €7.44

125.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.50 €1.33

16.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿92.9

$1.98 €1.76

40.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

$1.68 €1.50

29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

$28.82 €25.72

-22.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿101

$3.00 €2.67

0.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.43

$1.33 €1.18

-20.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 ฿124

$17.30 €15.44

-78.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.88

$1.93 €1.72

-25.91%

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

$26.3K ฿882.1K

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

$26.2K ฿877.3K

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

$96.7 ฿3,236

$320 €286

-69.79%

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

$11.41 ฿382

$18.59 €16.59

-38.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.11 ฿573

$28.17 €25.14

-39.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

$54.4 €48.58

-2.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

$11.54 €10.30

-4.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$5.57 €4.97

37.34%

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

$555 ฿18.6K

$128 €114

333.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿377.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 ฿2,123

$79.9 €71.3

-20.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.61 ฿958

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.7 ฿3,238

$67.3 €60.1

43.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ฿2,967

$83.7 €74.7

5.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

$335 €299

119.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

$288 €257

59.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

$571 €510

268.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

$488 €435

143.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

$1,147 €1,023

204.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

$1,707 €1,524

-70.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Last update for Paide: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$458 38.1%

Paide

$288 21.1% 37.2% $170

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.3%

Paide

$249 18.3% 7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Paide

$367 26.9% 193% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 10.4%

Paide

$104 * 7.6% 16.7% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$119 9.9%

Paide

$244 17.9% 105% $125

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.7%

Paide

$66 4.8% 3.7% $2.5

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Paide

$45 3.3% 15.1% $5.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $735 in Phuket and $335 in Paide. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Paide pays 241% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $49.00 in Paide. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $249, with Paide cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇪 Paide

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 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 Paide 8,270 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Paide

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 Paide: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Paide differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,190 vs $1,371 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 241% lower in Paide. 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 $335 in Paide. 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 $1,371 in Paide – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 29% less than in Paide. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,190 in Phuket versus $1,371 in Paide, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Paide. 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 Paide 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 15% less than in Paide. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.