Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Vlore

For one person, living is cheaper in Vlore: $1,201 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Vlore
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Vlore Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Vlore

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Vlore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,201 in Vlore.

Phuket $1,278
Vlore $1,201

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $1,795 in Vlore.

Phuket $2,216
Vlore $1,795

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $2,390 in Vlore.

Phuket $3,154
Vlore $2,390

Living in Phuket is roughly 6% more expensive than in Vlore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Vlore 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$10.08 ALL 819

-55.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$39.28 ALL 3,190

-17.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$7.56 ALL 614

16.53%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.93 ALL 156

46.63%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$1.81 ALL 147

-51.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.68 ALL 55.5

-27.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$2.50 ALL 203

2.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$3.38 ALL 274

8.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.98 ALL 161

-16.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.92 ALL 74.6

58.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.04 ALL 166

-26.47%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$2.70 ALL 219

-22.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$10.40 ALL 845

83.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$8.32 ALL 676

-60.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$14.24 ALL 1,156

-23.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.02 ALL 164

45.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$2.31 ALL 187

-26.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$1.66 ALL 135

35.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$1.59 ALL 129

30.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.04 ALL 84.8

45.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.24 ALL 101

11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.20 ALL 97.8

-10.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.82 ALL 66.6

-36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$4.23 ALL 343

-0.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$7.97 ALL 648

135.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.72 ALL 140

5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$1.83 ALL 148

55.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.50 ALL 41.01

190.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$24.77 ALL 2,012

128.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$3.69 ALL 299

-18.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$3.73 ALL 303

-72.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$18.60 ALL 1,511

-80.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$2.17 ALL 176

-32.26%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$33.4K ALL 2.7M

-19.93%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$24.7K ALL 2.0M

7.85%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$60.8 ALL 4,936

58.55%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$16.42 ALL 1,334

-31.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$17.46 ALL 1,418

-3.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$57.3 ALL 4,654

17.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$29.41 ALL 2,388

-63.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$8.63 ALL 701

-13.09%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$100 ALL 8,141

374.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$49.72 ALL 4,038

25.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$55.7 ALL 4,526

-49.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$101 ALL 8,185

-6.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$146 ALL 11.9K

-41.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$547 ALL 44.4K

30.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$418 ALL 33.9K

17.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$703 ALL 57.1K

174.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$552 ALL 44.9K

159.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$2,068 ALL 168.0K

101.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$1,416 ALL 115.0K

115.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$859 ALL 69.8K

-41.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vlore: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Vlore

$418 34.8% 14.9% $73

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Vlore

$250 20.9% 5.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Vlore

$95 7.9% 24% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vlore

$159 13.2% 30.2% $37

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Vlore

$156 13% 27.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Vlore

$75 6.2% 9.3% $7.7

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Vlore

$49 4.1% 30.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $547 in Vlore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vlore pays 71% 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 $39 in Vlore. Groceries flip the comparison at $266 vs $250, with Vlore cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇦🇱 Vlore

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

23:14 11:14 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

79,513

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 81.22 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.69 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Vlore 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Vlore

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 Vlore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vlore is about 6% 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 42% 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 $547 in Vlore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $100 in Vlore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Vlore is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.