Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saku

For one person, living is cheaper in Saku: $1,108 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Saku
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Saku Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Saku

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saku

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,108 in Saku.

Phuket $1,294
Saku $1,108

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,724 in Saku.

Phuket $2,204
Saku $1,724

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,339 in Saku.

Phuket $3,115
Saku $2,339

Living in Phuket is roughly 17% more expensive than in Saku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Saku 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$16.43 €14.69

-73.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$70.4 €62.9

-54.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$11.23 €10.04

-22.53%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$4.14 €3.70

-34.30%

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

$0.93 ฿31.39

$2.25 €2.01

-58.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.32 €2.07

-78.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$6.66 €5.96

-62.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$6.51 €5.82

-44.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.09 €0.97

59.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.95

$1.39 €1.24

4.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.38 €2.13

-36.97%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.90 €2.59

-25.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$11.04 €9.88

72.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$8.41 €7.52

-59.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$14.64 €13.09

-25.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.14 €1.92

37.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.38 €1.23

22.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.49 €2.23

-12.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.7

$3.01 €2.70

-29.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.21

$0.82 €0.73

78.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.15

$0.81 €0.72

69.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.30

$1.85 €1.66

-41.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.41

$1.01 €0.90

-45.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$6.91 €6.18

-35.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$10.22 €9.14

78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$1.90 €1.69

-6.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$2.08 €1.86

38.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.84

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,852

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.67 €3.28

-58.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.18

$1.03 €0.92

-24.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿130

$26.04 €23.28

-85.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$2.02 €1.80

-26.24%

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

$26.9K ฿907.0K

$28.2K €25.2K

-4.69%

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

$26.3K ฿888.9K

$29.3K €26.2K

-10.00%

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

$97.8 ฿3,300

$312 €279

-68.63%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$17.17 €15.36

-34.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$32.62 €29.17

-47.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$11.65 €10.41

-36.22%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$469 €420

12.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.7K

$10.2K €9,106

84.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,081

$102 €90.8

-39.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$48.12 €43.03

-41.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,239

$106 €94.6

-9.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,929

$119 €106

-26.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$4,012 €3,588

4.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$2,648 €2,368

24.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$1,764 €1,577

-72.13%

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: November 2, 2026

Last update for Saku: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Saku

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Saku

$267 24.1% 0.1% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Saku

$362 32.6% 186% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Saku

$168 15.2% 37.1% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Saku

$279 25.2% 134% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Saku

$23 * 2.1% 72% $60

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Saku

$8.8 * 0.8% 86.6% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

Saku pays about 3.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $70 in Saku for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $267 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇪 Saku

🕒 Local time

06:09 6:09 AM

01:09 1:09 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

4,548

💱 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Saku 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saku

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 Saku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saku is about 14% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 72% 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $70 in Saku. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $469 in Saku. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Saku 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 Saku are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.