Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Shkoder

For one person, living is cheaper in Shkoder: $980 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Shkoder
Learn more

Shkoder Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Shkoder

🇦🇱 Albania

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Shkoder

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $980 in Shkoder.

Phuket $1,278
Shkoder $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,474 in Shkoder.

Phuket $2,216
Shkoder $1,474

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,969 in Shkoder.

Phuket $3,154
Shkoder $1,969

Living in Phuket is roughly 30% more expensive than in Shkoder, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Shkoder 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$9.30 ALL 751

-51.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$38.93 ALL 3,144

-16.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$6.21 ALL 502

41.87%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$1.93 ALL 156

46.63%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$1.83 ALL 148

-52.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.65 ALL 52.4

-24.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$1.84 ALL 148

39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.18 ALL 257

15.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.89 ALL 153

-12.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$0.97 ALL 78.7

50.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.01 ALL 163

-25.37%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.60 ALL 210

-19.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$7.23 ALL 584

163.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$5.11 ALL 412

-35.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$10.81 ALL 873

0.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.65 ALL 134

77.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.35 ALL 190

-28.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.72 ALL 139

30.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.45 ALL 117

43.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.02 ALL 82.4

48.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.23 ALL 99.0

12.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.14 ALL 92.0

-6.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.77 ALL 62.3

-32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.23 ALL 341

-0.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$6.14 ALL 496

206.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.51 ALL 122

20.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.83 ALL 148

55.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.49 ALL 39.69

195.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$11.12 ALL 898

409.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.72 ALL 301

-18.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.85 ALL 311

-73.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$18.71 ALL 1,511

-80.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.17 ALL 176

-32.26%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$33.7K ALL 2.7M

-20.46%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$24.7K ALL 2.0M

8.10%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$61.7 ALL 4,981

56.23%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.47 ALL 1,331

-31.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$17.10 ALL 1,381

-1.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$42.68 ALL 3,448

57.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$12.53 ALL 1,012

-14.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$7.20 ALL 581

4.17%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$91.1 ALL 7,358

422.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$1,835 ALL 148.2K

513.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$49.16 ALL 3,970

26.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$12.34 ALL 997

130.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$74.0 ALL 5,975

27.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$147 ALL 11.8K

-41.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$489 ALL 39.5K

46.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$317 ALL 25.6K

54.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$484 ALL 39.1K

298.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$412 ALL 33.3K

247.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,866 ALL 150.7K

123.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,232 ALL 99.5K

147.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$567 ALL 45.8K

-11.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shkoder: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Shkoder

$317 32.4% 35.4% $174

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Shkoder

$206 21% 22.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Shkoder

$95 9.7% 23.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shkoder

$127 13% 4.1% $5

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Shkoder

$142 14.5% 16.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Shkoder

$57 5.8% 30.6% $25

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Shkoder

$36 3.7% 48.9% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $489 in Shkoder. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shkoder pays 13% 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 $39 in Shkoder. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $206, with Shkoder cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇱 Shkoder

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

14:00 2:00 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

77,075

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.77 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.89 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Shkoder 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Shkoder

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 Shkoder: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shkoder is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% 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: $716 in Phuket versus $489 in Shkoder. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $91 in Shkoder. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $980 in Shkoder versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shkoder but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Shkoder 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.