Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Sarande

For one person, living costs are similar in Phuket and in Sarande: $1,294 and $1,295 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Sarande
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Sarande Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Sarande

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,295

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Sarande

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,295 in Sarande.

Phuket $1,294
Sarande $1,295

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $2,193 in Sarande.

Phuket $2,204
Sarande $2,193

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $3,092 in Sarande.

Phuket $3,115
Sarande $3,092

Monthly costs are close between Phuket and Sarande; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$10.01 ALL 806

-56.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,083

$55.4 ALL 4,464

-41.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$11.18 ALL 901

-22.18%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.3

$2.25 ALL 181

20.89%

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

$0.93 ฿31.20

$2.43 ALL 196

-61.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.75

$1.12 ALL 90.4

-55.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿84.9

$3.59 ALL 289

-29.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$4.00 ALL 322

-9.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$2.18 ALL 176

-20.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.64

$1.12 ALL 90.3

29.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.36 ALL 190

-36.44%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.8

$3.64 ALL 293

-40.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿640

$12.62 ALL 1,016

51.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$9.21 ALL 742

-63.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿365

$17.11 ALL 1,378

-36.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.6

$1.90 ALL 153

54.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.7

$2.42 ALL 195

-30.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.6

$2.00 ALL 161

9.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.2

$1.80 ALL 145

17.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$1.02 ALL 82.3

43.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.87

$1.17 ALL 94.1

17.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.07

$1.45 ALL 117

-25.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.29

$0.78 ALL 63.1

-29.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

$5.01 ALL 403

-11.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿612

$7.43 ALL 599

145.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.4

$1.60 ALL 129

10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.6

$2.01 ALL 162

43.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.53

$1.13 ALL 91.3

28.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,840

$22.30 ALL 1,797

146.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.7

$3.65 ALL 294

-58.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.01

$3.64 ALL 293

-78.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$18.79 ALL 1,514

-79.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.87

$2.17 ALL 175

-31.34%

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

$26.9K ฿901.3K

$34.2K ALL 2.8M

-21.44%

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

$26.3K ฿883.4K

$28.4K ALL 2.3M

-7.28%

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

$97.8 ฿3,280

$98.1 ALL 7,903

-0.30%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$18.89 ALL 1,522

-40.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿576

$19.98 ALL 1,609

-13.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,291

$88.5 ALL 7,133

-22.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿366

$40.64 ALL 3,274

-73.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿249

$9.93 ALL 800

-25.18%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$303 ALL 24.4K

75.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿629.7K

$7,993 ALL 643.9K

134.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,068

$63.5 ALL 5,115

-2.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿947

$45.86 ALL 3,695

-38.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,219

$121 ALL 9,714

-20.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,911

$121 ALL 9,752

-28.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

$840 ALL 67.7K

-14.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

$382 ALL 30.7K

33.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.4K

$1,075 ALL 86.6K

81.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.8K

$932 ALL 75.1K

49.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.6K

$4,632 ALL 373.1K

-9.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.6K

$2,803 ALL 225.8K

17.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

$787 ALL 63.4K

-37.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.16

7.95%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sarande: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Sarande

$382 29.5% 25% $127

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Sarande

$281 21.7% 5.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Sarande

$137 10.6% 8.5% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Sarande

$158 12.2% 28.7% $35

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sarande

$181 14% 51.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Sarande

$108 8.4% 30.3% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Sarande

$49 3.8% 26.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $840 in Sarande. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sarande pays 60% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $55 in Sarande for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $281 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇱 Sarande

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

21:43 9:43 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

17,233

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 80.56 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.03 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Sarande 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Sarande

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 Sarande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 38% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $840 in Sarande. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $303 in Sarande. 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 $55 in Sarande. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket 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.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Sarande on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.