Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Salo

For one person, living is cheaper in Salo: $1,062 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Salo
Learn more

Salo Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Salo

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Salo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,062 in Salo.

Phuket $1,278
Salo $1,062

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,823 in Salo.

Phuket $2,216
Salo $1,823

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,583 in Salo.

Phuket $3,154
Salo $2,583

Living in Phuket is roughly 20% more expensive than in Salo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Salo 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$15.76 €14.06

-71.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$89.9 €80.2

-63.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.95 €10.66

-26.28%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$5.29 €4.72

-46.50%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$2.96 €2.64

-70.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.95 €1.74

-74.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.89 €3.47

-34.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$8.90 €7.94

-58.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.08 €0.96

53.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$2.73 €2.44

-46.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.39 €2.13

-37.24%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.21 €2.87

-34.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$8.73 €7.78

118.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$14.29 €12.75

-76.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$21.38 €19.08

-48.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.34 €2.09

25.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.09 €1.86

-19.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.54 €2.27

-11.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.83 €3.41

-45.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.26 €1.13

19.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$1.86 €1.66

-25.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$2.92 €2.61

-63.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$2.00 €1.78

-74.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$11.43 €10.20

-63.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$16.06 €14.33

17.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$3.11 €2.77

-41.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$3.37 €3.01

-15.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.32 €3.85

-30.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.34 €1.20

-23.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$65.6 €58.6

-94.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$2.15 €1.92

-31.63%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$36.1K €32.2K

-25.81%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$37.0K €33.0K

-27.92%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$130 €116

-25.91%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$24.43 €21.79

-53.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$24.07 €21.48

-30.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$21.34 €19.04

-49.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$17.75 €15.84

-57.75%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$326 €291

46.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$96.6 €86.2

-35.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$48.43 €43.21

-41.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$101 €90.3

-6.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$156 €139

-44.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$836 €746

130.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,346 €1,201

126.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$2,575 €2,298

-80.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.51

58.69%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Salo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Salo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Salo

$373 35.2% 40.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Salo

$179 16.8% 43.4% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Salo

$181 17.1% 48.5% $59

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Salo

$282 26.6% 132% $161

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Salo

$36 * 3.3% 56.8% $47

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Salo

$11 * 1% 84.4% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

Salo pays about 5.1 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 $90 in Salo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $373 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇫🇮 Salo

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

17:05 5:05 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

51,097

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Salo 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Salo

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 Salo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salo is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 80% 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.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $326 in Salo. 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 $90 in Salo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Salo 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 Salo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.