Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Szombathely

For one person, living is cheaper in Szombathely: $1,222 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Szombathely
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Szombathely Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Szombathely

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Szombathely

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,222 in Szombathely.

Phuket $1,278
Szombathely $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,944 in Szombathely.

Phuket $2,216
Szombathely $1,944

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,666 in Szombathely.

Phuket $3,154
Szombathely $2,666

Living in Phuket is roughly 5% more expensive than in Szombathely, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Szombathely 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$11.43 Ft 3,746

-60.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$53.7 Ft 17.6K

-39.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.03 Ft 2,961

-2.44%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.36 Ft 772

19.92%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.29 Ft 422

-32.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.22 Ft 399

-59.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$1.71 Ft 559

49.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$2.24 Ft 735

64.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.19 Ft 390

39.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.63 Ft 534

-10.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.49 Ft 817

-39.76%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.26 Ft 1,068

-35.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.39 Ft 3,405

83.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.78 Ft 2,224

-51.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$16.03 Ft 5,254

-31.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.23 Ft 729

31.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.04 Ft 669

-17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.39 Ft 783

-5.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.42 Ft 1,122

-39.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.07 Ft 351

41.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.39 Ft 456

-0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.77 Ft 581

-39.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.55 Ft 180

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$8.90 Ft 2,916

-52.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$4.45 Ft 1,457

322.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.27 Ft 416

43.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.52 Ft 827

12.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.83 Ft 271

74.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$26.83 Ft 8,795

111.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.67 Ft 877

13.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.33 Ft 436

-23.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$23.51 Ft 7,705

-84.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.81 Ft 594

-18.78%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$27.3K Ft 9.0M

-2.07%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$33.0K Ft 10.8M

-19.20%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$166 Ft 54.5K

-42.10%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$20.51 Ft 6,722

-45.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$21.05 Ft 6,900

-19.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$51.0 Ft 16.7K

31.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$17.97 Ft 5,890

-40.29%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.46 Ft 1,463

68.16%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$433 Ft 141.8K

10.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$7,571 Ft 2.5M

48.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$100 Ft 32.9K

-37.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$51.6 Ft 16.9K

-44.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$96.0 Ft 31.5K

-1.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$111 Ft 36.5K

-22.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$521 Ft 170.9K

37.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$329 Ft 107.9K

49.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$746 Ft 244.7K

158.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$643 Ft 210.7K

122.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,419 Ft 792.8K

72.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,983 Ft 649.9K

53.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,165 Ft 381.8K

-56.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.5

-25.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Szombathely: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Szombathely

$329 26.9% 32.9% $162

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Szombathely

$254 20.8% 4.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Szombathely

$208 17% 67.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Szombathely

$162 13.2% 32.6% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Szombathely

$170 13.9% 39.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Szombathely

$60 4.9% 27.1% $22

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Szombathely

$39 3.2% 44.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $521 in Szombathely. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Szombathely pays about 2.3 times 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 $54 in Szombathely. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $254, with Szombathely cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇭🇺 Szombathely

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

06:25 6:25 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

77,757

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.78 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 328 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Szombathely 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Szombathely

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 Szombathely: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Szombathely is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 57% 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 $521 in Szombathely. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $433 in Szombathely. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Szombathely gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Szombathely are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.