Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Portlaoise

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,924 in Portlaoise, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Ireland

$1,924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Portlaoise

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,924 in Portlaoise.

Phuket $1,278
Portlaoise $1,924

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,046 in Portlaoise.

Phuket $2,216
Portlaoise $3,046

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,168 in Portlaoise.

Phuket $3,154
Portlaoise $4,168

Living in Phuket costs roughly 34% less than in Portlaoise, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Portlaoise is 41% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$18.81 €16.84

-76.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$78.2 €70.0

-58.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$12.23 €10.95

-27.96%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.93 €3.52

-27.99%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$2.15 €1.92

-59.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.29 €1.16

-62.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$6.85 €6.13

-62.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.45 €4.88

-32.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.64 €1.47

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.27 €2.04

-35.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.30 €1.17

15.38%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$7.65 €6.86

-72.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.19 €1.96

33.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.28 €2.04

-25.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.23 €1.99

0.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.10 €0.99

37.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$19.43 €17.40

-78.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$4.55 €4.07

-68.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$44.78 €40.11

26.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$6.23 €5.58

-51.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.43 €1.28

-28.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$18.81 €16.84

-80.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.02 €1.81

-27.23%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$40.4K €36.1K

-33.66%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$33.3K €29.8K

-19.83%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$234 €209

-58.80%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$33.50 €30.00

-66.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$56.6 €50.7

-70.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$56.0 €50.1

20.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$16.74 €14.99

-55.20%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$5,113 €4,579

120.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$27.80 €24.90

2.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$68.3 €61.1

38.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,211 €1,085

-40.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$986 €883

-50.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$2,324 €2,082

-17.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,104 €1,885

-32.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,851 €2,554

-82.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.5

59.14%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Portlaoise: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Portlaoise

–

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Portlaoise

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Portlaoise

–

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Portlaoise

–

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Portlaoise

–

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Portlaoise

–

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Portlaoise

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $1,211 in Portlaoise. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portlaoise pays about 5.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $78 in Portlaoise. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $112, with Portlaoise cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇪 Portlaoise

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

04:26 4:26 AM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

23,494

💱 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 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 Portlaoise 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Portlaoise

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 Portlaoise: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 34% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 82% 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 $1,211 in Portlaoise. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $78 in Portlaoise. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Portlaoise runs roughly 21% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,924 in Portlaoise, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Portlaoise. 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 Portlaoise are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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