Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rethymno

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,358 in Rethymno, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rethymno

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,358 in Rethymno.

Phuket $1,278
Rethymno $1,358

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,031 in Rethymno.

Phuket $2,216
Rethymno $2,031

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,703 in Rethymno.

Phuket $3,154
Rethymno $2,703

Living in Phuket costs roughly 6% less than in Rethymno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.69 €11.38

-64.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$56.1 €50.2

-42.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$10.25 €9.18

-14.05%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$3.54 €3.18

-20.06%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.67 €1.50

-47.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.58 €0.52

-15.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$4.54 €4.07

-43.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.25 €4.70

-29.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.58 €1.42

5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$1.21 €1.08

20.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.26 €2.03

-33.63%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$4.48 €4.01

-53.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$15.17 €13.60

25.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.68 €8.67

-65.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.43 €13.83

-29.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.99 €1.79

47.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.99 €1.78

-15.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.24 €1.11

81.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.70 €1.52

22.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.96 €0.86

57.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$1.01 €0.90

36.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.69 €0.62

55.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.74 €0.66

-29.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.38 €3.93

-4.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$6.89 €6.18

172.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.81 €1.62

0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.82 €1.64

56.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.81 €1.62

-19.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.58 €4.10

-34.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.14 €1.02

-10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$11.38 €10.20

-67.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$2.21 €1.98

-33.48%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$22.4K €20.1K

19.52%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$24.5K €22.0K

8.85%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$191 €171

-49.49%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.37 €16.46

-38.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$31.03 €27.81

-45.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$61.2 €54.8

9.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.46 €7.58

-11.35%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$366 €328

29.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$3,964 €3,552

184.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$88.2 €79.0

-29.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$11.04 €9.89

157.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$44.52 €39.89

111.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$44.41 €39.80

93.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$548 €491

30.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$447 €401

9.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$913 €818

111.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$700 €627

104.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$4,172 €3,738

0.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$2,963 €2,655

2.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,201 €1,076

-58.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.3

29.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rethymno: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Rethymno

$447 32.9% 9% $44

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Rethymno

$273 20.1% 2.7% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Rethymno

$240 17.7% 92.9% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rethymno

$85 6.2% 30.5% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rethymno

$217 16% 78.3% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Rethymno

$78 5.8% 5% $4.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Rethymno

$18 * 1.3% 75.2% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $548 in Rethymno. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rethymno pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $56 in Rethymno for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $273 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

04:12 4:12 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

35,763

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 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 Rethymno 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rethymno

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 Rethymno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 58% 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 $548 in Rethymno. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $366 in Rethymno. 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 $56 in Rethymno. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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