Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tapa

For one person, living is cheaper in Tapa: $1,132 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Tapa
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Tapa Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Tapa

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,132

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tapa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,132 in Tapa.

Phuket $1,207
Tapa $1,132

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,765 in Tapa.

Phuket $2,037
Tapa $1,765

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,398 in Tapa.

Phuket $2,867
Tapa $2,398

Living in Phuket is roughly 7% more expensive than in Tapa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Tapa 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿154

$16.75 €14.94

-72.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,089

$71.2 €63.5

-54.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿287

$11.20 €9.99

-23.66%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.2

$4.07 €3.63

-33.17%

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

$0.94 ฿31.33

$3.29 €2.93

-71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.44

$3.84 €3.42

-87.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.8

$6.29 €5.61

-58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$7.34 €6.55

-47.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.24 €1.11

40.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.95

$1.87 €1.67

-23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$2.40 €2.14

-36.25%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.9

$2.86 €2.55

-24.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿642

$12.72 €11.35

50.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.80 €7.85

-62.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$14.61 €13.03

-23.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.8

$2.04 €1.82

44.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$1.42 €1.27

18.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.0

$2.52 €2.25

-8.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.5

$2.95 €2.63

-27.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$1.04 €0.92

47.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.67

$0.85 €0.76

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.54

$1.82 €1.63

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.29

$1.23 €1.09

-55.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$6.67 €5.95

-36.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿610

$10.04 €8.96

81.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$2.11 €1.88

-17.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.6

$2.37 €2.12

17.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿739

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.6

$3.51 €3.13

-17.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.89

$1.02 €0.91

-0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$26.36 €23.52

-85.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.98

$1.91 €1.71

-21.99%

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

$26.7K ฿894.0K

$27.5K €24.5K

-2.95%

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

$26.7K ฿895.1K

$30.3K €27.1K

-11.95%

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

$99.4 ฿3,330

$302 €269

-67.11%

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

$11.28 ฿378

$17.55 €15.66

-35.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿582

$36.22 €32.31

-52.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,752

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿363

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿254

$11.47 €10.23

-34.00%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$440 €392

26.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿384.9K

$11.8K €10.5K

-2.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,107

$107 €95.9

-41.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿958

$48.14 €42.94

-40.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,222

$104 €93.2

-7.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,951

$118 €105

-25.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.93

41.73%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tapa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Tapa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Tapa

$284 25.1% 6.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Tapa

$356 31.4% 178% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Tapa

$170 15% 37% $46

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Tapa

$291 25.7% 140% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Tapa

$23 * 2% 66% $44

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Tapa

$8.6 * 0.8% 77.9% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $71.0 in Tapa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $284 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇪🇪 Tapa

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

02:37 2:37 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 33.51 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tapa 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tapa

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 Tapa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tapa is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,811 in Phuket and $1,699 in Tapa 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.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $440 in Tapa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tapa – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,132 in Tapa versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tapa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tapa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tapa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Tapa are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Tapa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.