Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Saldus

For one person, living is cheaper in Saldus: $1,105 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Saldus
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Saldus Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Saldus

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Saldus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,105 in Saldus.

Phuket $1,208
Saldus $1,105

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,697 in Saldus.

Phuket $2,027
Saldus $1,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,289 in Saldus.

Phuket $2,845
Saldus $2,289

Living in Phuket is roughly 9% more expensive than in Saldus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Saldus 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$16.49 €14.67

-73.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$67.8 €60.3

-52.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$9.30 €8.27

-5.81%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.73 €3.32

-24.13%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$1.57 €1.40

-42.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.20 €1.07

-60.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$5.48 €4.88

-53.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$5.00 €4.44

-23.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.14 €1.01

51.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.45 €1.29

1.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.51 €2.24

-39.84%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.66 €3.25

-40.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.59 €9.42

86.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$8.74 €7.77

-61.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.47 €11.98

-17.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.07 €1.84

37.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.73 €1.54

-1.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$2.43 €2.16

-9.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$3.08 €2.74

-33.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.82 €0.73

76.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.92 €0.82

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.68 €1.49

-36.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.98 €0.87

-47.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.67 €5.93

-36.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.95 €7.07

133.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.01 €1.79

-11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.00 €1.78

42.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.27 €2.91

-7.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.02 €0.91

3.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$17.79 €15.82

-78.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.04 €1.82

-28.92%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$27.7K €24.6K

-4.89%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$31.5K €28.0K

-14.39%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$364 €324

-73.55%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$19.65 €17.48

-43.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$19.64 €17.47

-12.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$11.03 €9.81

-29.19%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$675 €601

-17.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$18.0K €16.0K

-35.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$69.0 €61.4

-6.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$49.82 €44.32

-42.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$85.1 €75.7

12.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$135 €120

-34.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

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 19, 2026

Last update for Saldus: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Saldus

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Saldus

$265 24% 1.4% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Saldus

$404 36.5% 224% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Saldus

$153 13.8% 22.7% $28

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Saldus

$253 22.9% 109% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Saldus

$22 * 2% 67.4% $46

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Saldus

$8.4 * 0.8% 78.8% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $68.0 in Saldus. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $265, with Saldus cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇻 Saldus

🕒 Local time

19:29 7:29 PM

15:29 3:29 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

12,085

💱 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 →

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Between locations

Phuket Saldus 8,420 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Saldus

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 Saldus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saldus is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,657 in Saldus 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.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $675 in Saldus. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Saldus – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,105 in Saldus versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saldus but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Saldus the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Phuket and Saldus 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 Saldus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.