Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Varkaus

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $1,899 in Varkaus, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Varkaus
Learn more

Varkaus Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Varkaus

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,899

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Varkaus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,899 in Varkaus.

Phuket $1,294
Varkaus $1,899

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $3,014 in Varkaus.

Phuket $2,204
Varkaus $3,014

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $4,128 in Varkaus.

Phuket $3,115
Varkaus $4,128

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 4% below, Varkaus is 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$15.36 €13.70

-71.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$102 €90.7

-68.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$12.24 €10.92

-28.92%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$5.33 €4.76

-48.97%

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

$0.93 ฿31.38

$3.57 €3.18

-73.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.85 €2.54

-82.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$8.69 €7.75

-70.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$8.31 €7.41

-56.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.40 €1.25

24.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$3.09 €2.76

-53.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.64 €3.25

-58.79%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$4.00 €3.57

-45.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$10.68 €9.52

78.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$16.59 €14.80

-79.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$20.92 €18.66

-47.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$2.66 €2.37

10.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.09 €1.86

-19.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$3.55 €3.17

-38.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$4.84 €4.31

-56.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$1.24 €1.10

17.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$1.88 €1.67

-27.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$2.39 €2.14

-54.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$1.88 €1.68

-70.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$12.36 €11.02

-64.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$13.35 €11.91

36.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$3.69 €3.29

-52.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$5.07 €4.52

-43.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$3.41 €3.04

-57.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$66.1 €58.9

-16.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$9.61 €8.57

-84.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$1.76 €1.57

-55.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$51.1 €45.62

-92.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$2.33 €2.08

-36.05%

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

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$36.9K €32.9K

-27.20%

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

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$37.4K €33.4K

-29.57%

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

$97.8 ฿3,299

$107 €95.7

-8.88%

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

$11.29 ฿381

$26.91 €24.01

-58.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$28.94 €25.81

-40.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$43.40 €38.71

57.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$22.35 €19.94

-51.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$17.79 €15.87

-58.23%

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

$530 ฿17.9K

$725 €647

-26.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$12.4K €11.1K

51.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$121 €108

-48.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$56.5 €50.4

-49.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$88.9 €79.3

7.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$176 €157

-50.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$787 €702

-8.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$638 €569

-20.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$1,248 €1,114

56.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$1,055 €941

32.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$4,070 €3,630

3.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$2,174 €1,940

51.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.59

55.15%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Varkaus: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Varkaus

$638 33.6% 25.4% $129

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Varkaus

$412 21.7% 54.5% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Varkaus

$163 8.6% 29.2% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Varkaus

$199 10.5% 62.2% $76

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Varkaus

$309 16.3% 159% $190

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Varkaus

$79 4.2% 5% $4.2

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Varkaus

$98 5.2% 48.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $721 in Phuket and $787 in Varkaus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $102 in Varkaus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $412 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇫🇮 Varkaus

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

03:48 3:48 AM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

20,257

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Varkaus 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Varkaus

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 Varkaus: 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.

You’d need roughly $1,940 in Phuket and $2,849 in Varkaus 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: $721 in Phuket versus $787 in Varkaus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $725 in Varkaus. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Varkaus. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,899 in Varkaus, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Varkaus. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket 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 Varkaus are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Varkaus. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.