Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Swords

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,598 in Swords, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
Learn more

Swords Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Swords

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,598 in Swords.

Phuket $1,278
Swords $2,598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $3,804 in Swords.

Phuket $2,216
Swords $3,804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $5,010 in Swords.

Phuket $3,154
Swords $5,010

Living in Phuket costs roughly 51% less than in Swords, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Swords is 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$22.16 €19.91

-79.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$98.6 €88.6

-67.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$13.20 €11.86

-33.26%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$4.93 €4.43

-42.60%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.98 €2.68

-70.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$2.16 €1.94

-77.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$8.03 €7.21

-68.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$6.74 €6.05

-45.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.58 €1.42

5.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$2.35 €2.11

-37.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.03 €1.83

-26.11%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$4.24 €3.81

-50.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$9.89 €8.89

92.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$10.86 €9.76

-69.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.29 €11.94

-17.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$2.75 €2.47

6.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.27 €2.04

-25.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.79 €2.50

-19.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$4.17 €3.75

-50.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.87 €1.68

-19.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.47 €1.32

-6.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.30 €1.16

-17.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$1.90 €1.70

-72.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$20.52 €18.44

-79.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$13.39 €12.03

40.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$3.35 €3.01

-45.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$3.45 €3.10

-17.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$2.26 €2.03

-35.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$5.00 €4.49

-39.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$1.47 €1.32

-30.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$37.35 €33.55

-90.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.16 €1.94

-31.94%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$38.6K €34.7K

-30.59%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$38.0K €34.1K

-29.75%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$246 €221

-60.88%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.68 €16.78

-39.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$51.2 €45.96

-67.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$40.58 €36.45

65.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$13.43 €12.06

-44.15%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$1,010 €907

-52.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$5,183 €4,655

117.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$100 €90.0

-37.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$48.06 €43.17

-40.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$108 €97.1

-12.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$113 €101

-23.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$1,556 €1,397

-53.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$1,342 €1,205

-63.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$2,584 €2,322

-25.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$2,165 €1,945

-33.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$4,721 €4,241

-11.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$3,447 €3,096

-11.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.68

51.36%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Swords: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Swords

$1.3K 51.7% 173% $851

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Swords

$335 12.9% 25.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Swords

$316 12.2% 154% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Swords

$166 6.4% 36.3% $44

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Swords

$350 13.5% 188% $229

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Swords

$67 2.6% 18% $15

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Swords

$21 * 0.8% 69.7% $49

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 $716 in Phuket and $1,556 in Swords. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $99 in Swords for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $335 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇪 Swords

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

7 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

40,776

💱 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 = 37.58 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Swords 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Swords

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 Swords: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 103% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $3,897 in Swords 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 $1,556 in Swords. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $1,010 in Swords. 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 $99 in Swords. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $2,598 in Swords, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Swords. 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 Swords are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.