Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Trieste

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,885 in Trieste, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Trieste
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Trieste Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Trieste

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Trieste

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,885 in Trieste.

Phuket $1,278
Trieste $1,885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,827 in Trieste.

Phuket $2,216
Trieste $2,827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,768 in Trieste.

Phuket $3,154
Trieste $3,768

Living in Phuket costs roughly 32% less than in Trieste, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Trieste is 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$21.99 €19.70

-79.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$66.4 €59.5

-51.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$11.62 €10.42

-24.18%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$2.20 €1.97

28.64%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$3.74 €3.35

-76.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$2.06 €1.85

-76.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$6.59 €5.91

-61.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$5.44 €4.87

-32.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.21 €1.98

-24.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$3.21 €2.88

-54.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$3.74 €3.35

-59.89%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$4.13 €3.71

-49.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$14.97 €13.41

27.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.40 €10.22

-71.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.03 €15.26

-35.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$2.87 €2.57

2.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$2.18 €1.96

-22.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.99 €2.68

-24.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$4.68 €4.20

-55.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$2.60 €2.33

-41.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$2.68 €2.40

-48.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$2.31 €2.07

-53.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.77 €0.69

-32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.61 €5.92

-36.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$7.78 €6.98

141.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.84 €1.65

-1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$2.48 €2.22

14.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.64 €1.47

-11.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$44.10 €39.52

28.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$8.85 €7.93

-65.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$1.87 €1.68

-45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$33.07 €29.63

-88.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$2.22 €1.99

-33.78%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$36.2K €32.5K

-26.08%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$37.6K €33.7K

-28.94%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$218 €195

-55.75%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$9.94 €8.91

13.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$30.67 €27.49

-45.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$47.99 €43.01

40.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$40.76 €36.53

-73.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$9.06 €8.12

-17.22%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$753 €675

-36.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$11.7K €10.5K

-3.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$109 €98.0

-42.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$34.06 €30.52

-16.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$112 €100.0

-15.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$134 €120

-35.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$791 €709

-9.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$650 €583

-24.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$1,368 €1,226

40.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$997 €894

43.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$3,746 €3,357

11.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$2,286 €2,048

33.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,911 €1,713

-73.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.26

70.86%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Trieste: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Trieste

$650 34.5% 32.4% $159

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Trieste

$363 19.2% 36.3% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Trieste

$258 13.7% 108% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Trieste

$175 9.3% 43.5% $53

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Trieste

$304 16.1% 150% $182

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Trieste

$66 3.5% 19.6% $16

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Trieste

$69 3.7% 2.4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $791 in Trieste. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Trieste pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $66 in Trieste for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $363 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇹 Trieste

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

200,609

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Trieste 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Trieste

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 Trieste: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 32% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 74% 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 $791 in Trieste. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $753 in Trieste. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 36% higher in Trieste. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,885 in Trieste, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Trieste. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Phuket and Trieste are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Trieste on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.