Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Samos

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,411 in Samos, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Samos
Learn more

Samos Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Samos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Samos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,411 in Samos.

Phuket $1,208
Samos $1,411

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,081 in Samos.

Phuket $2,027
Samos $2,081

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,751 in Samos.

Phuket $2,845
Samos $2,751

Living in Phuket costs roughly 14% less than in Samos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Samos is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$11.13 €9.90

-60.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$39.72 €35.33

-18.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.87 €6.11

27.51%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.02 €2.68

-6.29%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.36 €2.10

-61.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.88 €0.78

-46.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$4.13 €3.67

-38.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.45 €5.74

-40.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.53 €1.36

13.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.38 €1.23

6.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$2.61 €2.32

-42.15%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.56 €4.06

-52.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$13.24 €11.78

48.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$9.65 €8.59

-65.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.16 €12.59

-21.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.16 €1.92

31.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.01 €1.79

-15.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.42 €1.27

54.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.94 €1.73

5.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.16 €1.03

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.15 €1.02

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.09 €0.97

-1.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.85 €0.76

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$5.37 €4.77

-20.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$6.76 €6.02

174.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$2.06 €1.83

-13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.62 €2.33

8.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.37 €1.21

64.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$44.20 €39.32

-50.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$4.30 €3.83

-30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.09 €0.97

-2.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$16.48 €14.66

-76.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.15 €1.91

-32.56%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$28.1K €25.0K

-6.32%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$25.3K €22.5K

6.61%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$207 €184

-53.52%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$23.54 €20.94

-53.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$30.70 €27.31

-44.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$51.3 €45.61

1.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$25.38 €22.57

-56.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$8.94 €7.96

-12.64%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$429 €382

29.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$7,664 €6,817

51.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$89.9 €80.0

-28.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$40.02 €35.59

-28.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$86.7 €77.1

9.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$121 €108

-27.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$481 €428

53.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$400 €356

15.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$741 €659

182.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$611 €544

96.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$2,683 €2,387

29.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,181 €1,940

15.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$990 €881

-49.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.46

24.89%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Samos: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Samos

$400 28.4% 13.4% $62

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Samos

$276 19.6% 2.7% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Samos

$262 18.5% 110% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Samos

$152 10.8% 22.4% $28

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Samos

$192 13.6% 58.7% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Samos

$69 4.9% 2% $1.4

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Samos

$59 4.2% 50.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $481 in Samos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samos pays 98% 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 $40.00 in Samos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $276 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇷 Samos

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

03:41 3:41 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

33,814

💱 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 25, 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 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Samos 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Samos

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 Samos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 98% lower in Samos. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $481 in Samos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $429 in Samos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Samos. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,411 in Samos, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Samos. 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 Samos, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Samos 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 17% less than in Samos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.