Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tuam

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,580 in Tuam, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Tuam
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Tuam Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Tuam

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,580

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tuam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,580 in Tuam.

Phuket $1,208
Tuam $2,580

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $3,675 in Tuam.

Phuket $2,027
Tuam $3,675

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $4,770 in Tuam.

Phuket $2,845
Tuam $4,770

Living in Phuket costs roughly 53% less than in Tuam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 11% below, Tuam is 90% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$19.76 €17.57

-77.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$61.5 €54.7

-47.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$14.32 €12.74

-38.83%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$4.47 €3.98

-36.69%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.92 €2.60

-69.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.85 €1.65

-74.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$7.03 €6.25

-63.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$6.59 €5.86

-41.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.59 €1.42

8.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$2.28 €2.03

-35.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.92 €1.71

-21.35%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$4.42 €3.93

-50.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$10.28 €9.14

91.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$12.75 €11.34

-73.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.27 €11.81

-15.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$3.05 €2.71

-6.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$2.29 €2.04

-25.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$3.09 €2.75

-29.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$4.84 €4.30

-57.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.96 €1.74

-26.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.47 €1.30

-6.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.37 €1.22

-21.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$2.07 €1.84

-75.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$20.29 €18.05

-79.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$13.56 €12.06

37.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$3.47 €3.09

-48.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$3.46 €3.08

-17.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$2.57 €2.29

-12.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$5.09 €4.53

-40.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$1.55 €1.38

-31.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$33.37 €29.68

-88.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$2.02 €1.80

-28.22%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$39.0K €34.7K

-32.42%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$38.1K €33.9K

-29.29%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$244 €217

-60.52%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$21.40 €19.04

-48.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$50.3 €44.72

-65.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$58.9 €52.4

-11.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$13.18 €11.72

-40.74%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$1,009 €897

-44.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$5,119 €4,553

126.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$95.7 €85.1

-32.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$42.02 €37.38

-31.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$108 €95.7

-11.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$114 €101

-22.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$1,609 €1,431

-54.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$1,318 €1,172

-64.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$2,576 €2,291

-18.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$2,092 €1,860

-42.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$3,293 €2,929

-23.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.14

34.54%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tuam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Tuam

$1.3K 51.1% 185% $855

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Tuam

$355 13.7% 32% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Tuam

$316 12.2% 154% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Tuam

$161 6.3% 29.9% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Tuam

$322 12.5% 166% $201

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Tuam

$85 3.3% 25.7% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Tuam

$23 * 0.9% 41.4% $16

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 $1,609 in Tuam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $61.0 in Tuam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $355 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇮🇪 Tuam

🕒 Local time

15:54 3:54 PM

09:54 9:54 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

9,647

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 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 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Tuam 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tuam

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 Tuam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 114% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $3,870 in Tuam 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $1,609 in Tuam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $1,009 in Tuam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $61.0 in Tuam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,580 in Tuam, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tuam. 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 Tuam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Tuam 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 114% less than in Tuam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.