Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Protaras

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,021 in Protaras, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
94

Cost of Living Index in Protaras
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Protaras Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Protaras

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Protaras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,021 in Protaras.

Phuket $1,278
Protaras $2,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,018 in Protaras.

Phuket $2,216
Protaras $3,018

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $4,015 in Protaras.

Phuket $3,154
Protaras $4,015

Living in Phuket costs roughly 37% less than in Protaras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Protaras is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.36 €20.03

-80.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$77.9 €69.7

-58.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.13 €8.18

-3.50%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.85 €3.45

-26.49%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.92 €1.72

-54.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.26 €1.13

-61.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.17 €4.63

-50.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.48 €4.90

-32.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.99 €1.78

-16.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$2.47 €2.22

-40.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$3.01 €2.70

-50.17%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.63 €4.15

-54.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$13.37 €11.98

42.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.72 €8.71

-66.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.71 €12.28

-20.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.50 €3.14

-16.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.36 €2.11

-28.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.93 €2.63

-23.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.79 €3.39

-45.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$2.01 €1.80

-24.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.61 €1.44

-14.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.28 €1.15

-16.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.07 €0.96

-51.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.59 €5.90

-36.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$8.76 €7.85

114.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.87 €1.68

-2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.86 €2.56

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$2.23 €2.00

-34.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$54.4 €48.73

4.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$9.98 €8.94

-69.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$2.30 €2.06

-55.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$22.09 €19.78

-83.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.71 €1.53

-14.04%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$30.9K €27.7K

-13.44%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$31.2K €27.9K

-14.38%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$241 €215

-59.96%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$20.38 €18.25

-44.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$32.60 €29.20

-48.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$77.3 €69.2

-13.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$21.75 €19.48

-50.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.33 €11.94

-43.74%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$687 €616

-30.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$10.5K €9,432

6.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$97.0 €86.9

-35.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$51.2 €45.84

-44.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$110 €98.7

-14.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$117 €105

-26.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$720 €645

-0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$741 €664

-33.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,648 €1,476

16.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,144 €1,025

25.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$3,454 €3,093

20.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,202 €1,972

38.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.93

41.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Protaras: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Protaras

$741 36.7% 50.9% $250

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Protaras

$327 16.2% 22.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Protaras

$294 14.5% 136% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Protaras

$169 8.4% 38.5% $47

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Protaras

$302 14.9% 148% $180

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Protaras

$104 5.1% 26.5% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Protaras

$85 4.2% 20.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $720 in Protaras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $78 in Protaras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $327 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇾 Protaras

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

01:18 1:18 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

20,230

💱 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 1, 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

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Phuket Protaras 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Phuket
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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 Protaras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,032 in Protaras 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $720 in Protaras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $687 in Protaras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Protaras. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,021 in Protaras, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Protaras. 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.