Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Palermo

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,301 a month against $1,545 in Palermo, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Palermo
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Palermo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,301

/mo nomad

Palermo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Palermo

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

A single person spends $1,301 per month in Phuket vs $1,545 in Palermo, rent included.

Phuket $1,301
Palermo $1,545

A couple spends around $2,238 per month in Phuket vs $2,330 in Palermo, rent included.

Phuket $2,238
Palermo $2,330

A family of three spends $3,175 per month in Phuket vs $3,116 in Palermo, rent included.

Phuket $3,175
Palermo $3,116

Phuket is about 16% cheaper than Palermo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 3% below the global median, while Palermo is 16% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$14.88 €13.46

-69.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.98 ฿1,116

$56.4 €51.0

-41.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 ฿286

$11.38 €10.29

-25.66%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ฿92.7

$2.22 €2.01

23.42%

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

$0.97 ฿32.81

$2.40 €2.17

-59.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.68

$1.25 €1.13

-56.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.6

$5.73 €5.18

-55.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.57 €4.13

-19.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.31 €1.19

27.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.80

$1.84 €1.67

-23.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 ฿54.2

$2.84 €2.57

-43.66%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.4

$2.97 €2.69

-26.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.79 ฿670

$14.76 €13.35

34.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.38 ฿114

$12.07 €10.92

-72.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.03 ฿373

$16.72 €15.13

-34.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.1

$2.90 €2.62

1.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.3

$2.12 €1.92

-20.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 ฿77.6

$2.95 €2.67

-22.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 ฿72.9

$3.00 €2.72

-28.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.5

$1.64 €1.48

-7.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.67

$1.53 €1.39

-13.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿38.02

$1.79 €1.62

-37.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.59

$0.43 €0.39

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿146

$6.81 €6.16

-36.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.47 ฿625

$7.69 €6.95

140.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿59.7

$2.16 €1.95

-18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.05 €2.76

-8.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 ฿49.68

$1.53 €1.38

-3.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 ฿1,865

$36.17 €32.73

52.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ฿51.4

$3.28 €2.97

-53.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 ฿24.63

$1.10 €1.00

-33.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿130

$37.52 €33.95

-89.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿50.1

$2.15 €1.95

-31.16%

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

$27.0K ฿913.8K

$35.3K €31.9K

-23.47%

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

$26.5K ฿897.5K

$37.8K €34.2K

-29.82%

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

$101 ฿3,408

$224 €203

-55.05%

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

$11.17 ฿378

$10.30 €9.31

8.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.33 ฿586

$27.12 €24.54

-36.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.6 ฿2,455

$62.0 €56.1

17.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.26 ฿517

$33.08 €29.93

-53.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 ฿266

$9.45 €8.55

-16.83%

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

$542 ฿18.3K

$445 €402

21.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿635.7K

$6,279 €5,680

199.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.5 ฿2,115

$71.7 €64.9

-12.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.83 ฿976

$31.12 €28.15

-7.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 ฿3,317

$85.7 €77.6

14.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.1 ฿3,015

$127 €115

-29.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$738 ฿25.0K

$693 €627

6.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ฿17.0K

$461 €417

9.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 ฿65.7K

$1,116 €1,010

73.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,424 ฿48.2K

$742 €671

92.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,216 ฿142.7K

$2,520 €2,279

67.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,296 ฿111.5K

$1,381 €1,250

138.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 ฿16.8K

$1,661 €1,503

-70.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.39

64.31%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 9, 2026

Last update for Palermo: November 9, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$503 38.6%

Palermo

$461 29.8% 8.4% $42

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 20.7%

Palermo

$316 20.5% 17.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$129 9.9%

Palermo

$261 16.9% 102% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$125 9.6%

Palermo

$142 9.2% 13.4% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Palermo

$232 15% 93.4% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$88 6.8%

Palermo

$81 5.2% 8.4% $7.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Palermo

$51 3.3% 22.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $738 in Phuket versus $693 in Palermo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Palermo are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Phuket versus $56 in Palermo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $316 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Palermo

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

11:26 11:26 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

628,165

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.84 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.4 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 13, 2026: 1 USD = 0.905 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Palermo 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Palermo

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 Palermo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Palermo is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,951 per month in Phuket and $2,317 in Palermo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $738 in Phuket and $693 in Palermo. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Palermo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $542 per month in Phuket and $445 in Palermo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,301, than in Palermo at $1,545. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Palermo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,301 versus $1,545 in Palermo. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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