Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Riga

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,591 in Riga, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Riga
Learn more

Riga Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Riga

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Riga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,591 in Riga.

Phuket $1,207
Riga $1,591

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,428 in Riga.

Phuket $2,037
Riga $2,428

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,264 in Riga.

Phuket $2,867
Riga $3,264

Living in Phuket costs roughly 24% less than in Riga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Riga is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$17.05 €15.17

-73.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$65.9 €58.6

-50.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$8.94 €7.96

-4.36%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$3.63 €3.23

-25.07%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.62 €1.44

-41.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.20 €1.07

-59.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$5.43 €4.83

-52.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.96 €4.41

-22.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.19 €1.06

46.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.49 €1.33

-4.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$2.50 €2.22

-38.80%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.61 €3.21

-39.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$10.61 €9.44

80.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$8.86 €7.88

-62.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$13.85 €12.32

-19.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.15 €1.91

37.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.82 €1.62

-7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$2.45 €2.18

-6.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.09 €2.75

-31.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.83 €0.74

84.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.95 €0.84

43.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.70 €1.51

-34.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.98 €0.87

-43.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.75 €6.01

-36.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$7.66 €6.81

137.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.96 €1.75

-11.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$2.07 €1.84

34.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$1.69 €1.51

31.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$33.13 €29.47

-33.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.40 €3.02

-14.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.99 €0.88

2.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$17.89 €15.91

-78.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$2.01 €1.79

-25.87%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$27.0K €24.0K

-1.14%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$31.4K €28.0K

-15.00%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$369 €328

-73.07%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$19.45 €17.30

-42.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$19.83 €17.64

-12.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$50.9 €45.28

2.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$35.88 €31.91

-69.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$11.05 €9.83

-31.49%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$690 €614

-19.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$17.7K €15.7K

-35.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$69.3 €61.6

-9.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$50.5 €44.88

-43.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$85.7 €76.3

12.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$140 €124

-36.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$560 €498

30.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$383 €341

20.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,148 €1,021

82.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$739 €657

65.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,993 €2,662

15.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,050 €1,824

21.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,478 €1,315

-66.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.77

16.77%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Riga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Riga

$383 24.1% 16.7% $77

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Riga

$268 16.8% 0.2% $0.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Riga

$408 25.7% 219% $280

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Riga

$155 9.8% 25.2% $31

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Riga

$255 16% 110% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Riga

$73 4.6% 8.3% $5.6

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Riga

$48 3% 24.1% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $560 in Riga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Riga pays 200% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $66.0 in Riga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇻 Riga

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

11:41 11:41 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

660,187 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Riga 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Riga

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 Riga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 32% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 200% lower in Riga. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $560 in Riga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $690 in Riga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Riga. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,591 in Riga, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Riga. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Riga, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Riga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Riga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.