Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tesanj

For one person, living is cheaper in Tesanj: $869 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Tesanj
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Tesanj Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Tesanj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tesanj

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $869 in Tesanj.

Phuket $1,208
Tesanj $869

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,284 in Tesanj.

Phuket $2,027
Tesanj $1,284

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,699 in Tesanj.

Phuket $2,845
Tesanj $1,699

Living in Phuket is roughly 39% more expensive than in Tesanj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Tesanj 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$3.49 BAM 6.09

26.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,089

$16.11 BAM 28.10

100.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$2.94 BAM 5.13

197.96%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$0.89 BAM 1.55

217.98%

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

$0.90 ฿30.43

$1.40 BAM 2.45

-35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$0.90 BAM 1.57

-47.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$1.96 BAM 3.41

30.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$1.70 BAM 2.96

125.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$0.82 BAM 1.43

110.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.58

$0.88 BAM 1.53

67.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$2.44 BAM 4.26

-38.11%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$3.03 BAM 5.29

-28.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿665

$9.94 BAM 17.34

98.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$7.41 BAM 12.93

-54.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$14.14 BAM 24.67

-21.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$1.13 BAM 1.97

152.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.61 BAM 2.81

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$1.42 BAM 2.47

54.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$1.60 BAM 2.79

28.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.99 BAM 1.73

46.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$1.06 BAM 1.85

30.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.04

$1.13 BAM 1.97

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$0.93 BAM 1.63

-45.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$3.93 BAM 6.86

8.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$8.60 BAM 15.00

116.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$1.11 BAM 1.94

60.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$1.32 BAM 2.30

115.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$1.30 BAM 2.27

73.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$1.11 BAM 1.93

171.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$0.56 BAM 0.97

89.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$10.24 BAM 17.87

-62.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$1.52 BAM 2.66

-4.61%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

$31.0K BAM 54.0K

-14.94%

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

$21.8K BAM 38.0K

23.82%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$91.4 BAM 159

5.43%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$18.51 BAM 32.29

-40.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$28.34 BAM 49.44

-39.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$32.73 BAM 57.1

59.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

$28.51 BAM 49.73

-60.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$2.88 BAM 5.02

171.18%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$135 BAM 235

312.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

$3,917 BAM 6,833

195.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$57.7 BAM 101

11.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$32.02 BAM 55.9

-10.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$94.0 BAM 164

1.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$131 BAM 229

-32.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$345 BAM 602

113.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$248 BAM 433

86.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$519 BAM 906

303.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$366 BAM 639

227.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

$2,462 BAM 4,296

41.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$1,757 BAM 3,065

43.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

$686 BAM 1,197

-27.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.3

29.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tesanj: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Tesanj

$248 28.6% 46.4% $214

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Tesanj

$223 25.7% 16.9% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Tesanj

$138 15.9% 11% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Tesanj

$142 16.3% 13.9% $17

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Tesanj

$70 8% 42.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Tesanj

$38 4.4% 43.2% $29

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Tesanj

$9.1 * 1.1% 76.9% $30

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 $345 in Tesanj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tesanj pays 37% 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 $16 in Tesanj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $223 per month, with Tesanj cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇦 Tesanj

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

22:36 10:36 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR 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).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Tesanj 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tesanj

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 Tesanj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tesanj is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 27% 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 $345 in Tesanj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $135 in Tesanj. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tesanj – a meal for two runs $16 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $869 in Tesanj versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tesanj but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tesanj 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 Tesanj are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.