Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Veles

For one person, living is cheaper in Veles: $766 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Veles
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Veles Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Veles

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Veles

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $766 in Veles.

Phuket $1,278
Veles $766

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,137 in Veles.

Phuket $2,216
Veles $1,137

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $1,507 in Veles.

Phuket $3,154
Veles $1,507

Living in Phuket is roughly 67% more expensive than in Veles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Veles 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$8.78 MKD 483

-49.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,092

$18.09 MKD 995

79.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$5.43 MKD 299

62.25%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.3

$1.56 MKD 85.7

81.41%

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

$0.87 ฿29.37

$1.33 MKD 73.3

-34.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.64

$0.82 MKD 45.00

-40.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.2

$1.47 MKD 81.1

74.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.11 MKD 171

18.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.03 MKD 56.6

61.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.25

$0.53 MKD 29.29

175.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$1.51 MKD 83.3

-0.66%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.4

$2.48 MKD 136

-15.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿642

$2.97 MKD 163

542.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.93 MKD 216

-16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$15.02 MKD 826

-27.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.7

$1.44 MKD 79.1

103.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.46 MKD 80.4

15.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.7

$1.34 MKD 73.7

67.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.89 MKD 104

10.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.9

$0.90 MKD 49.68

67.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.47

$0.83 MKD 45.91

66.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.91

$0.59 MKD 32.73

81.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.49

$0.60 MKD 32.90

-13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.23 MKD 178

30.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿633

$6.22 MKD 342

202.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.4

$1.02 MKD 56.2

78.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.7

$1.44 MKD 79.3

97.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.80 MKD 43.93

81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,909

$23.73 MKD 1,306

138.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.10 MKD 60.7

174.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.29

$0.58 MKD 31.70

75.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$7.67 MKD 422

-51.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.70

$1.40 MKD 76.8

5.00%

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

$26.8K ฿902.4K

$26.5K MKD 1.5M

1.03%

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

$26.7K ฿899.5K

$24.8K MKD 1.4M

7.67%

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

$96.4 ฿3,247

$108 MKD 5,963

-11.11%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.80 MKD 924

-32.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$12.21 MKD 672

38.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,266

$25.03 MKD 1,377

168.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿361

$17.81 MKD 980

-39.75%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$3.37 MKD 185

122.55%

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

$476 ฿16.0K

$214 MKD 11.8K

122.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿379.6K

$5,661 MKD 311.5K

98.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,102

$21.40 MKD 1,177

191.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿957

$18.01 MKD 991

57.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,178

$73.6 MKD 4,047

28.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,892

$109 MKD 5,977

-21.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.1K

$223 MKD 12.2K

221.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.5K

$169 MKD 9,289

190.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿64.9K

$290 MKD 15.9K

565.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.2K

$232 MKD 12.8K

517.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.7K

$1,181 MKD 65.0K

253.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.6K

$940 MKD 51.7K

223.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$586 MKD 32.2K

-14.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.23

31.68%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Veles: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Veles

$169 22% 65.6% $322

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Veles

$170 22.2% 36% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Veles

$137 17.9% 10.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Veles

$100 13% 18.2% $22

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Veles

$127 16.6% 4.7% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Veles

$32 4.1% 61.4% $50

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Veles

$31 4% 56.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $223 in Veles. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Veles pays 17% 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 $18 in Veles for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $170 per month, with Veles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇰 Veles

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

04:08 4:08 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

43,716

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR 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).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 55.02 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.25 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Veles 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Veles

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 Veles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Veles is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 14% 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 $223 in Veles. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $214 in Veles. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 56% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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 Veles are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Veles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.