Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zabljak

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabljak: $1,128 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. The total is higher in Phuket despite lower rent and utilities.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Zabljak
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Zabljak Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Zabljak

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zabljak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,128 in Zabljak.

Phuket $1,208
Zabljak $1,128

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,769 in Zabljak.

Phuket $2,027
Zabljak $1,769

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,410 in Zabljak.

Phuket $2,845
Zabljak $2,410

Living in Phuket is roughly 7% more expensive than in Zabljak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Zabljak 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$7.95 €7.08

-44.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$31.82 €28.30

1.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$6.55 €5.82

33.74%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.63 €1.45

73.62%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$2.24 €2.00

-59.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$1.45 €1.29

-67.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$3.00 €2.66

-15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.54 €3.15

8.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.27 €1.13

36.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.65 €0.57

126.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.31 €1.17

15.27%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.97 €2.64

-26.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$7.08 €6.30

178.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$7.22 €6.42

-53.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$12.23 €10.88

-8.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.32 €1.17

115.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.67 €1.49

1.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.51 €1.34

45.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.41 €1.26

45.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.65 €0.58

123.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.70 €0.62

97.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.91 €0.81

17.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.96 €0.86

-46.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.01 €3.57

6.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$4.41 €3.92

321.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.07 €0.95

66.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.73 €1.54

64.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$1.63 €1.45

38.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$39.55 €35.18

-44.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.14 €1.02

164.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.64 €0.57

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$17.00 €15.12

-77.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.77 €1.57

-18.08%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$29.3K €26.1K

-10.20%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$25.6K €22.7K

5.42%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$113 €101

-14.87%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$15.02 €13.36

-26.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$22.02 €19.58

-22.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$46.30 €41.18

12.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.72 €13.10

-24.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.21 €5.53

25.76%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$392 €349

41.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$9,812 €8,728

18.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$22.65 €20.15

183.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$27.47 €24.43

4.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$55.0 €48.89

73.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$67.7 €60.2

29.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$645 €573

14.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$455 €405

1.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$1,277 €1,135

64.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$937 €834

28.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,324 €2,956

4.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$2,357 €2,097

7.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$801 €713

-37.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.95

-6.39%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zabljak: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Zabljak

$455 40.3% 1.6% $7.5

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Zabljak

$196 17.4% 26.9% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Zabljak

$150 13.3% 20.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Zabljak

$78 6.9% 37.4% $47

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Zabljak

$140 12.4% 15.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Zabljak

$59 5.2% 13.4% $9.1

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Zabljak

$50 4.5% 27.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $645 in Zabljak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zabljak pays 60% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $32.00 in Zabljak. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $196, with Zabljak cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇲🇪 Zabljak

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

05:31 5:31 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

1,900

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 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 October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Zabljak 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zabljak

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 Zabljak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zabljak is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Zabljak. 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: $737 in Phuket versus $645 in Zabljak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $392 in Zabljak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,128 in Zabljak versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zabljak but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zabljak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zabljak is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Zabljak are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zabljak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.