Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Podgorica

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,331 in Podgorica, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
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Podgorica Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Podgorica

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,331 in Podgorica.

Phuket $1,278
Podgorica $1,331

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,096 in Podgorica.

Phuket $2,216
Podgorica $2,096

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,860 in Podgorica.

Phuket $3,154
Podgorica $2,860

Living in Phuket costs roughly 4% less than in Podgorica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Podgorica 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.27 €10.10

-60.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$44.27 €39.67

-26.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.56 €9.47

-16.57%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.12 €1.90

33.49%

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

$0.87 ฿29.42

$2.48 €2.22

-64.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.66

$1.45 €1.30

-66.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.15 €2.83

-18.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.31 €2.97

11.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.26 €1.13

31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$0.99 €0.88

47.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.99 €1.78

-24.62%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.59 €3.21

-41.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.85 €7.93

115.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.08 €7.24

-59.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$12.07 €10.81

-9.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$1.63 €1.46

79.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.72 €1.54

-1.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.80 €1.61

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.33 €2.09

-10.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.95 €0.85

58.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.54

$1.07 €0.95

28.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$1.50 €1.35

-28.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.83 €0.74

-37.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.28 €3.84

-1.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$5.72 €5.13

228.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.07 €0.95

70.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.61 €1.45

76.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

$1.03 €0.92

40.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$32.90 €29.49

72.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$0.76 €0.68

297.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.34

$0.81 €0.72

25.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$11.08 €9.93

-66.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.78

$1.89 €1.69

-22.22%

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

$26.8K ฿903.7K

$28.5K €25.5K

-6.01%

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

$26.7K ฿900.8K

$23.8K €21.3K

12.33%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$130 €117

-26.12%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.48 €16.56

-39.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$32.17 €28.82

-47.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,269

$50.2 €45.02

33.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$13.34 €11.95

-19.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$6.61 €5.92

13.46%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$343 €308

38.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.1K

$7,326 €6,565

53.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,105

$85.9 €77.0

-27.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$46.72 €41.87

-39.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,182

$98.1 €87.9

-3.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,896

$105 €93.8

-18.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$663 €594

7.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$483 €432

1.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,361 €1,220

41.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$976 €875

46.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,122 €2,798

33.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$2,388 €2,140

27.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$1,152 €1,032

-56.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.22

6.70%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Podgorica: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Podgorica

$483 36.2% 1.7% $8.3

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Podgorica

$226 17% 15.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Podgorica

$181 13.6% 45.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Podgorica

$151 11.3% 23.8% $29

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Podgorica

$186 13.9% 52.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Podgorica

$63 4.8% 22.8% $19

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Podgorica

$42 3.1% 40.8% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $663 in Podgorica. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Podgorica pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $44 in Podgorica. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $226, with Podgorica cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

150,799 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Podgorica 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Podgorica

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 Podgorica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 56% 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 $663 in Podgorica. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $343 in Podgorica. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Podgorica pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Podgorica are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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