Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Strovolos

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,644 in Strovolos, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Strovolos
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Strovolos Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Strovolos

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$1,644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Strovolos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,644 in Strovolos.

Phuket $1,208
Strovolos $1,644

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $2,492 in Strovolos.

Phuket $2,027
Strovolos $2,492

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $3,341 in Strovolos.

Phuket $2,845
Strovolos $3,341

Living in Phuket costs roughly 27% less than in Strovolos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Strovolos is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$16.86 €15.05

-73.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,089

$56.1 €50.1

-42.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$9.17 €8.18

-4.47%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.70 €3.30

-23.51%

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

$0.90 ฿30.43

$2.20 €1.96

-59.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$0.87 €0.78

-45.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$4.57 €4.08

-44.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$5.76 €5.14

-33.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$1.80 €1.60

-3.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.58

$1.44 €1.28

2.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$2.38 €2.12

-36.55%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$4.83 €4.31

-55.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿665

$13.02 €11.62

51.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$8.68 €7.74

-61.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$12.38 €11.05

-9.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$3.25 €2.90

-12.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.81 €1.61

-6.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.04 €1.82

7.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$3.40 €3.03

-39.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$1.41 €1.25

2.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$1.20 €1.07

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.04

$0.65 €0.58

64.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$1.05 €0.94

-51.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$5.78 €5.16

-26.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$6.62 €5.91

180.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$1.74 €1.55

2.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$1.96 €1.75

45.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

$79.2 €70.7

-72.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$6.10 €5.45

-50.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$1.97 €1.76

-46.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$22.71 €20.27

-83.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$1.79 €1.60

-18.99%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

$31.1K €27.7K

-15.25%

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

$32.4K €28.9K

-16.82%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$189 €169

-49.03%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$22.63 €20.20

-51.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$33.21 €29.64

-48.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$55.1 €49.15

-5.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

$22.10 €19.72

-49.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$11.22 €10.01

-30.39%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$431 €385

29.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

$6,788 €6,058

70.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$83.4 €74.4

-23.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$44.70 €39.89

-35.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$94.1 €83.9

1.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$90.0 €80.3

-2.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$668 €596

10.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$552 €493

-16.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$1,041 €929

101.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$935 €834

28.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

$2,231 €1,991

56.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$2,244 €2,003

12.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

$1,655 €1,477

-69.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.31

68.28%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Strovolos: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Strovolos

$552 33.6% 19.4% $90

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Strovolos

$281 17.1% 4.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Strovolos

$245 14.9% 96.6% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Strovolos

$140 8.5% 13% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Strovolos

$253 15.4% 109% $132

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Strovolos

$78 4.7% 14.3% $9.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Strovolos

$95 * 5.8% 141% $56

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $668 in Strovolos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Strovolos pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $56 in Strovolos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $281 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇾 Strovolos

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

22:47 10:47 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

67,904

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Strovolos 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Strovolos

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 Strovolos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, transport, and utilities. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 70% 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: $737 in Phuket versus $668 in Strovolos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $431 in Strovolos. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,644 in Strovolos, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Strovolos. 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.

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