Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Xaghra

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,982 in Xaghra, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Phuket, Thailand
Xaghra, Malta
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Xaghra
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,982
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Xaghra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,982 in Xaghra.

  • Phuket $1,278
  • Xaghra $1,982

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,979 in Xaghra.

  • Phuket $2,216
  • Xaghra $2,979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,975 in Xaghra.

  • Phuket $3,154
  • Xaghra $3,975

Living in Phuket costs roughly 36% less than in Xaghra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Xaghra is 46% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Xaghra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.47 ฿151
$10.02 €8.94
-55.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.41 ฿1,093
$88.2 €78.7
-63.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.81 ฿297
$13.56 €12.10
-35.03%
Cappuccino
$2.83 ฿95.4
$3.20 €2.85
-11.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 ฿29.40
$2.35 €2.10
-62.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.65
$1.91 €1.70
-74.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.56 ฿86.3
$5.57 €4.97
-54.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.68 ฿124
$6.73 €6.00
-45.32%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Xaghra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.66 ฿55.9
$1.36 €1.22
22.06%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿49.29
$1.45 €1.29
0.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$3.42 €3.05
-56.14%
Eggs
$2.09 ฿70.5
$1.99 €1.77
5.03%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.07 ฿643
$10.44 €9.31
82.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.30 ฿111
$12.20 €10.89
-72.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.91 ฿368
$18.53 €16.53
-41.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.93 ฿98.8
$3.76 €3.36
-22.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.0
$2.69 €2.40
-37.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.25 ฿75.7
$3.80 €3.39
-40.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.08 ฿70.0
$3.84 €3.43
-45.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 ฿51.0
$1.93 €1.72
-21.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.38 ฿46.51
$3.26 €2.90
-57.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 ฿35.95
$2.18 €1.94
-50.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.50
$0.92 €0.82
-43.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.20 ฿142
$6.31 €5.63
-33.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.79 ฿634
$5.91 €5.28
217.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿61.4
$2.38 €2.12
-23.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.8
$2.37 €2.11
19.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Xaghra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.97
$2.56 €2.29
-43.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.7 ฿1,911
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.02 ฿102
$3.93 €3.51
-23.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.02 ฿34.32
$1.83 €1.64
-44.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ฿124
$32.05 €28.59
-88.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.75
$1.51 €1.35
-2.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K ฿903.2K
$28.1K €25.1K
-4.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿900.3K
$38.7K €34.5K
-31.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Xaghra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$96.4 ฿3,250
$155 €138
-37.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ฿380
$31.20 €27.84
-63.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.85 ฿568
$28.88 €25.77
-41.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Xaghra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,268
$60.6 €54.1
10.90%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.73 ฿362
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.50 ฿253
$11.28 €10.06
-33.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Xaghra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$476 ฿16.1K
$277 €247
72.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.3K ฿379.9K
$12.2K €10.8K
-7.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Xaghra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.4 ฿2,103
$56.9 €50.7
9.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.41 ฿958
$67.5 €60.3
-57.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 ฿3,180
$112 €100
-16.01%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.8 ฿2,894
$133 €118
-35.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Xaghra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$716 ฿24.1K
$1,120 €999
-36.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$491 ฿16.6K
$950 €848
-48.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,927 ฿65.0K
$1,745 €1,557
10.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,431 ฿48.3K
$1,508 €1,346
-5.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,175 ฿140.8K
$4,078 €3,639
2.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,045 ฿102.7K
$2,542 €2,268
19.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Xaghra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$502 ฿16.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.05
37.53%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Xaghra: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$491
Xaghra
$950 93.5% $459
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$266
Xaghra
$328 23% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$124
Xaghra
$215 72.4% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$122
Xaghra
$166 36.3% $44
Eating Out
Phuket
$122
Xaghra
$217 78.7% $96
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$82
Xaghra
$83 1.1% $0.9
Getting Around
Phuket
$71
Xaghra
$23 * 66.9% $47

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 $1,120 in Xaghra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $88 in Xaghra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $328 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇲🇹 Xaghra
🕒 Local time
01:59 1:59 AM
19:59 7:59 PM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
4,100
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Xaghra 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Xaghra

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 Xaghra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Xaghra?
Phuket is about 36% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,917 in Phuket and $2,974 in Xaghra 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Xaghra?
Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $1,120 in Xaghra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $277 in Xaghra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Phuket or in Xaghra?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $88 in Xaghra. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Phuket or in Xaghra?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,982 in Xaghra, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Xaghra. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Xaghra?
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.
Which city is safer, Phuket or Xaghra?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Xaghra are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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