Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Pecs

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,372 in Pecs, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Pecs, Hungary
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Pecs
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,372
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Pecs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,372 in Pecs.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Pecs $1,372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,140 in Pecs.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Pecs $2,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,907 in Pecs.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Pecs $2,907

Living in Phuket costs roughly 7% less than in Pecs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Pecs
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$11.24 Ft 3,707
-60.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,094
$61.8 Ft 20.4K
-47.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$8.94 Ft 2,949
-1.45%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.5
$2.48 Ft 818
14.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.43
$1.29 Ft 426
-32.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.67
$1.28 Ft 423
-61.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.4
$1.73 Ft 570
47.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$2.26 Ft 744
62.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Pecs
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.18 Ft 389
40.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.35
$1.63 Ft 536
-10.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$2.38 Ft 784
-36.97%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$3.21 Ft 1,058
-34.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿644
$10.08 Ft 3,323
89.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$6.78 Ft 2,235
-51.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$16.27 Ft 5,363
-32.94%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿99.0
$2.35 Ft 774
24.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$2.22 Ft 732
-23.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.8
$2.53 Ft 833
-11.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.1
$3.99 Ft 1,315
-47.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.08 Ft 357
39.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.56
$1.39 Ft 457
-0.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.99
$1.87 Ft 615
-42.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.52
$0.58 Ft 192
-10.34%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$8.97 Ft 2,957
-53.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$4.60 Ft 1,518
308.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.5
$1.36 Ft 449
33.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$2.61 Ft 860
8.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Pecs
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿49.03
$1.55 Ft 512
-6.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,913
$23.23 Ft 7,659
143.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$3.30 Ft 1,087
-8.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.36
$1.44 Ft 473
-29.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿125
$24.43 Ft 8,055
-84.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.81
$1.78 Ft 588
-17.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.3K
$27.5K Ft 9.1M
-2.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿901.3K
$35.9K Ft 11.8M
-25.57%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Pecs
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,254
$168 Ft 55.3K
-42.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$20.86 Ft 6,876
-46.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿569
$20.93 Ft 6,901
-19.49%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Pecs
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$50.4 Ft 16.6K
33.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
$18.59 Ft 6,128
-42.28%
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$8.58 Ft 2,827
-12.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Pecs
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$420 Ft 138.4K
13.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿380.4K
$7,652 Ft 2.5M
47.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Pecs
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,106
$99.3 Ft 32.7K
-37.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿959
$51.0 Ft 16.8K
-44.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,184
$96.9 Ft 32.0K
-2.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,898
$110 Ft 36.2K
-21.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Pecs
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.2K
$635 Ft 209.3K
12.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$464 Ft 153.1K
5.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.1K
$1,133 Ft 373.7K
70.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$812 Ft 267.7K
76.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿141.0K
$3,152 Ft 1.0M
32.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.8K
$2,595 Ft 855.6K
17.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Pecs
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿17.0K
$1,079 Ft 355.7K
-53.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
8
-30.37%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pecs: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Pecs
$464 5.4% $26
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Pecs
$260 2.3% $6.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Pecs
$210 68.3% $85
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Pecs
$161 31.8% $39
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Pecs
$170 39.7% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Pecs
$68 17.9% $15
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Pecs
$40 43.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $635 in Pecs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pecs pays about 2.1 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $62 in Pecs. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $260, with Pecs cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇭🇺 Pecs
🕒 Local time
02:01 2:01 AM
20:01 8:01 PM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
140,330
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Pecs 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Pecs

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 Pecs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Pecs?
Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Pecs?
On paper, salaries run 53% 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Pecs?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $635 in Pecs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Pecs runs roughly 59% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.
What are total monthly expenses in Phuket and in Pecs?
All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Phuket versus $1,372 in Pecs – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Pecs?
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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Pecs?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Pecs are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Pecs on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

Phuket vs other spots: cost of living compared

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