Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Polva

For one person, living is cheaper in Polva: $1,216 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Polva
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Polva Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Polva

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Polva

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,216 in Polva.

Phuket $1,278
Polva $1,216

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,934 in Polva.

Phuket $2,216
Polva $1,934

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,652 in Polva.

Phuket $3,154
Polva $2,652

Living in Phuket is roughly 5% more expensive than in Polva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Polva 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$17.06 €15.32

-73.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$88.9 €79.9

-63.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.92 €10.71

-26.09%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.33 €3.89

-34.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.24 €2.01

-61.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.29 €2.06

-78.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.80 €6.11

-62.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.81 €6.12

-45.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.13 €1.02

46.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.40 €1.26

4.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.95 €2.65

-49.15%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.19 €2.87

-34.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.14 €10.00

71.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.07 €8.15

-63.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$27.39 €24.60

-60.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.34 €2.10

25.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.40 €1.26

20.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.58 €2.32

-12.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.90 €2.60

-28.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.81 €0.72

86.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$0.81 €0.72

70.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$2.04 €1.83

-47.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.02 €0.91

-49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.93 €6.23

-39.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.18 €9.15

84.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.97 €1.77

-7.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.06 €1.85

37.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$6.09 €5.47

-50.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.19 €1.07

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$26.47 €23.78

-86.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$1.95 €1.75

-24.62%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$28.3K €25.4K

-5.27%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$31.5K €28.3K

-15.20%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$340 €306

-71.67%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$17.33 €15.56

-35.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$31.99 €28.74

-47.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.45 €12.08

-44.24%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$721 €648

-34.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$9,967 €8,954

13.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$104 €93.7

-40.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$50.2 €45.06

-43.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$117 €105

-19.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$136 €123

-37.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.44

61.92%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Polva: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Polva

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Polva

$314 25.9% 18.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Polva

$389 32% 213% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Polva

$183 15.1% 50.4% $61

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Polva

$290 23.8% 138% $168

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Polva

$27 * 2.2% 67.3% $55

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Polva

$12 * 1% 83% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $89 in Polva for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $314 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇪 Polva

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

02:12 2:12 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,700

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Polva 8,170 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Polva

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 Polva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polva is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $1,824 in Polva to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $721 in Polva. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $89 in Polva. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Polva is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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