Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Scalea

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,723 in Scalea, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
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Scalea Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Scalea

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,723 in Scalea.

Phuket $1,278
Scalea $1,723

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,482 in Scalea.

Phuket $2,216
Scalea $2,482

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,241 in Scalea.

Phuket $3,154
Scalea $3,241

Living in Phuket costs roughly 26% less than in Scalea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Scalea is 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$16.80 €15.09

-73.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$56.6 €50.8

-42.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.02 €9.90

-20.05%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.10 €1.89

34.76%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.96 €2.66

-70.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.08 €1.87

-76.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$6.59 €5.92

-61.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.13 €3.71

-10.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.26 €1.13

31.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.68 €1.50

-13.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.62 €2.35

-42.75%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.41 €3.06

-38.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$11.04 €9.92

72.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.70 €10.51

-71.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.79 €14.18

-30.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.99 €1.78

47.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$1.73 €1.56

-2.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.39 €1.25

61.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$2.64 €2.37

-21.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.74 €1.56

-13.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.30 €1.17

6.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.28 €1.15

-16.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.46 €0.42

13.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.82 €6.12

-38.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.81 €7.01

140.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.83 €1.64

-0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.53 €1.37

85.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.66 €1.49

-12.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$38.62 €34.69

46.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$4.57 €4.11

-33.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.14 €1.02

-10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$22.00 €19.76

-83.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.12 €1.91

-30.66%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$36.0K €32.3K

-25.60%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$37.6K €33.8K

-29.02%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$315 €283

-69.37%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$10.52 €9.45

7.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$34.57 €31.05

-51.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$53.1 €47.73

26.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$22.55 €20.26

-52.42%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.07 €8.14

-17.31%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$445 €400

7.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$6,807 €6,114

65.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$83.0 €74.6

-24.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$34.18 €30.70

-16.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$84.9 €76.3

11.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$129 €116

-33.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$700 €629

2.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$556 €500

-11.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$1,099 €987

75.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$819 €735

74.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,452 €1,304

187.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,141 €1,025

166.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.55

56.90%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Scalea: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Scalea

$556 32.3% 13.3% $65

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Scalea

$278 16.1% 4.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Scalea

$360 20.9% 189% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Scalea

$149 8.6% 22.2% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Scalea

$254 14.7% 109% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Scalea

$71 4.1% 13.3% $11

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Scalea

$56 3.2% 21.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $700 in Scalea. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $57 in Scalea for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $278 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Scalea

🕒 Local time

00:39 12:39 AM

18:39 6:39 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

10,913

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Scalea 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Scalea

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 Scalea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,585 in Scalea 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $700 in Scalea. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $445 in Scalea. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Scalea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,723 in Scalea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Scalea. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Scalea are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.