Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Tukums

For one person, living is cheaper in Tukums: $1,164 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Tukums
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Tukums Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Tukums

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,164

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Tukums

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,164 in Tukums.

Phuket $1,278
Tukums $1,164

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,643 in Tukums.

Phuket $2,216
Tukums $1,643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,121 in Tukums.

Phuket $3,154
Tukums $2,121

Living in Phuket is roughly 10% more expensive than in Tukums, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Tukums 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$5.43 €4.84

-17.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$21.97 €19.61

47.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$9.48 €8.46

-7.07%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$3.62 €3.23

-21.82%

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

$0.87 ฿29.40

$1.57 €1.40

-44.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$1.15 €1.03

-57.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$5.76 €5.14

-55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.97 €4.44

-25.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.09 €0.97

52.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.29

$1.49 €1.33

-2.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.54 €2.27

-40.94%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.03 €1.81

2.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.05 €8.07

110.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$6.72 €6.00

-50.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$13.73 €12.25

-20.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.8

$2.06 €1.84

42.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.82 €1.63

-7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$2.48 €2.22

-9.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$3.27 €2.92

-36.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.63 €0.56

139.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.51

$0.95 €0.85

45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.95

$1.67 €1.49

-35.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.50

$0.58 €0.52

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.58 €5.87

-36.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.70 €6.87

144.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.17 €1.05

55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.06 €1.84

37.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.97

$1.14 €1.01

27.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,911

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.39 €3.03

-10.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.32

$1.04 €0.93

-1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$17.74 €15.82

-79.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.75

$1.91 €1.70

-23.04%

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

$26.8K ฿903.2K

$27.1K €24.2K

-1.14%

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

$26.7K ฿900.3K

$29.7K €26.5K

-10.04%

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

$96.4 ฿3,250

$282 €251

-65.80%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.46 €14.69

-31.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$19.64 €17.52

-14.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$35.32 €31.51

90.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.55 €9.41

-28.91%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$720 €642

-33.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.9K

$18.2K €16.3K

-38.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,103

$69.7 €62.2

-10.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$51.1 €45.61

-44.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,180

$78.0 €69.6

20.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,894

$140 €125

-38.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$225 €201

217.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$223 €199

119.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$332 €296

480.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$332 €297

330.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$550 €490

-8.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.77

16.77%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tukums: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Tukums

$223 19.2% 54.5% $267

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Tukums

$236 20.3% 11.2% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Tukums

$318 27.3% 155% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tukums

$152 13.1% 24.9% $30

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Tukums

$165 14.2% 35.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Tukums

$56 4.8% 31.4% $26

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Tukums

$13 * 1.1% 81.4% $57

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 $716 in Phuket and $225 in Tukums. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tukums pays 9% 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 $22 in Tukums for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $236 per month, with Tukums cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇻 Tukums

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

19,729

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Tukums 8,380 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Tukums

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 Tukums: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tukums is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 9% 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 $225 in Tukums. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $720 in Tukums. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tukums – a meal for two runs $22 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Tukums 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 Tukums are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.