Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tepelene

For one person, living is cheaper in Tepelene: $1,184 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Tepelene
Learn more

Tepelene Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tepelene

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,184

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tepelene

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,184 in Tepelene.

Phuket $1,278
Tepelene $1,184

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,838 in Tepelene.

Phuket $2,216
Tepelene $1,838

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,493 in Tepelene.

Phuket $3,154
Tepelene $2,493

Living in Phuket is roughly 8% more expensive than in Tepelene, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tepelene 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.12 ALL 817

-55.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,094

$56.3 ALL 4,547

-42.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.34 ALL 916

-22.31%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.5

$2.24 ALL 181

26.34%

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

$0.87 ฿29.43

$2.35 ALL 190

-62.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$1.25 ALL 101

-60.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$3.65 ALL 295

-29.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.01 ALL 324

-8.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.26 ALL 183

-26.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.35

$1.17 ALL 94.3

24.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.34 ALL 189

-35.90%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.67 ALL 297

-43.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿644

$12.73 ALL 1,028

49.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$9.03 ALL 729

-63.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.34 ALL 1,400

-37.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$1.98 ALL 160

47.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.42 ALL 195

-30.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.17 ALL 176

3.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.1

$1.85 ALL 149

12.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.03 ALL 83.1

46.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.26 ALL 102

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.99

$1.46 ALL 118

-26.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.52

$0.80 ALL 64.5

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.79 ALL 387

-12.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$10.66 ALL 861

76.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.62 ALL 131

12.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.11 ALL 170

34.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.42 ALL 33.95

245.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

$16.82 ALL 1,358

236.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.78 ALL 305

-20.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.36

$3.80 ALL 307

-73.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$18.45 ALL 1,490

-80.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.81

$2.43 ALL 196

-39.51%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

$34.1K ALL 2.8M

-21.37%

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

$26.7K ฿901.3K

$29.9K ALL 2.4M

-10.65%

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

$96.4 ฿3,254

$101 ALL 8,126

-4.22%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$18.39 ALL 1,485

-38.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿569

$20.14 ALL 1,627

-16.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

$50.3 ALL 4,065

33.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.62 ALL 777

-22.04%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$351 ALL 28.4K

35.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.4K

$8,174 ALL 660.2K

37.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,106

$50.3 ALL 4,063

23.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

$48.59 ALL 3,925

-41.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,184

$118 ALL 9,545

-20.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,898

$114 ALL 9,172

-24.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$480 ALL 38.8K

49.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$312 ALL 25.2K

57.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

$713 ALL 57.6K

170.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$460 ALL 37.2K

211.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

$1,943 ALL 156.9K

114.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

$1,289 ALL 104.1K

136.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

$679 ALL 54.8K

-25.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.16

7.95%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tepelene: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tepelene

$312 26.4% 36.4% $179

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tepelene

$291 24.6% 9.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tepelene

$139 11.8% 11.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tepelene

$149 12.6% 22.1% $27

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tepelene

$182 15.4% 50% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tepelene

$70 5.9% 15.4% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tepelene

$41 3.5% 41.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $480 in Tepelene. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tepelene pays 35% 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 $56 in Tepelene for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $291 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇱 Tepelene

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

12:11 12:11 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR 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).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.77 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.89 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tepelene 8,460 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tepelene

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 Tepelene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tepelene is cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 26% 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 $480 in Tepelene. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $351 in Tepelene. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Tepelene 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 Tepelene are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.