Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Siena

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,836 in Siena, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Siena
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,836
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Siena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,836 in Siena.

  • Phuket $1,207
  • Siena $1,836

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $2,784 in Siena.

  • Phuket $2,037
  • Siena $2,784

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,733 in Siena.

  • Phuket $2,867
  • Siena $3,733

Living in Phuket costs roughly 34% less than in Siena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Siena is 36% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Siena
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.58 ฿153
$15.36 €13.66
-70.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.48 ฿1,086
$90.9 €80.9
-64.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.55 ฿286
$13.54 €12.05
-36.85%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.0
$1.89 €1.68
43.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 ฿31.25
$2.96 €2.63
-68.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.39
$1.41 €1.26
-65.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.59 ฿86.6
$6.19 €5.51
-58.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.83 ฿128
$5.59 €4.98
-31.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Siena
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.1
$1.45 €1.29
20.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.43 ฿47.82
$2.24 €2.00
-36.16%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.0
$1.64 €1.46
-6.71%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿72.7
$4.03 €3.58
-46.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.15 ฿640
$13.54 €12.04
41.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿110
$11.93 €10.61
-72.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.14 ฿372
$21.56 €19.18
-48.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 ฿98.5
$2.57 €2.29
14.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 ฿56.1
$2.15 €1.91
-21.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.30 ฿76.8
$3.13 €2.79
-26.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.13 ฿71.3
$3.16 €2.81
-32.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿51.1
$1.82 €1.62
-15.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 ฿45.55
$1.57 €1.40
-13.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ฿37.44
$1.37 €1.22
-18.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.24
$0.52 €0.46
5.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.26 ฿142
$6.66 €5.93
-36.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.19 ฿608
$6.53 €5.81
178.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 ฿58.2
$1.51 €1.34
15.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 ฿93.3
$2.62 €2.33
6.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Siena
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.22 ฿74.1
$1.94 €1.73
14.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$22.06 ฿737
$41.73 €37.12
-47.14%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.91 ฿97.3
$6.45 €5.74
-54.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.01 ฿33.79
$1.39 €1.24
-27.34%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.83 ฿128
$32.32 €28.74
-88.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.85
$2.08 €1.85
-28.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K ฿891.6K
$27.6K €24.6K
-3.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿892.7K
$35.5K €31.6K
-24.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Siena
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.4 ฿3,321
$194 €173
-48.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.28 ฿377
$13.47 €11.98
-16.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.36 ฿580
$31.20 €27.75
-44.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Siena
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 ฿1,747
$70.4 €62.7
-25.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.85 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.57 ฿253
$11.30 €10.05
-33.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Siena
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 ฿18.7K
$576 €513
-3.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K ฿383.9K
$14.7K €13.1K
-21.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Siena
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 ฿2,102
$84.0 €74.7
-25.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.58 ฿955
$37.04 €32.95
-22.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.1 ฿3,213
$95.9 €85.3
0.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.1 ฿2,943
$107 €95.0
-17.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Siena
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$729 ฿24.4K
$1,138 €1,013
-35.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 ฿15.4K
$725 €645
-36.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,096 ฿70.0K
$1,720 €1,530
21.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,222 ฿40.8K
$1,122 €998
8.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,459 ฿115.6K
$4,381 €3,897
-21.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,489 ฿83.2K
$3,930 €3,495
-36.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Siena
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$493 ฿16.5K
$1,882 €1,674
-73.80%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.29
69.30%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Siena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$460
Siena
$725 57.6% $265
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$268
Siena
$325 21.4% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$128
Siena
$239 86.7% $111
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$124
Siena
$146 17.4% $22
Eating Out
Phuket
$121
Siena
$246 103% $124
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$67
Siena
$93 38% $26
Getting Around
Phuket
$39
Siena
$63 61.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $1,138 in Siena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Siena pays 282% 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 $91.0 in Siena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $325 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇮🇹 Siena
🕒 Local time
05:40 5:40 AM
00:40 12:40 AM
5 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
53,903
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Siena 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Siena

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 Siena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Siena cheaper than Phuket?
Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 52% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Siena?
On paper, salaries run 282% lower in Siena. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Siena?
Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $1,138 in Siena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $576 in Siena. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Phuket and in Siena?
Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Siena. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Siena?
At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,836 in Siena, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Siena. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Phuket or Siena more family-friendly?
For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Siena, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Siena?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Siena are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Siena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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