Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zagreb

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,772 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zagreb

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,772 in Zagreb.

Phuket $1,278
Zagreb $1,772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $2,619 in Zagreb.

Phuket $2,216
Zagreb $2,619

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $3,467 in Zagreb.

Phuket $3,154
Zagreb $3,467

Living in Phuket costs roughly 28% less than in Zagreb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Phuket is 6% below, Zagreb is 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$12.33 €11.04

-63.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$63.9 €57.3

-49.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$8.01 €7.18

9.99%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$2.50 €2.24

13.20%

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

$0.87 ฿29.41

$3.09 €2.76

-71.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$2.62 €2.35

-81.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

$3.42 €3.06

-25.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

$4.51 €4.04

-18.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.27 €1.13

30.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$1.60 €1.43

-8.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$2.68 €2.40

-44.03%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$3.95 €3.53

-47.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$14.58 €13.06

30.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$11.47 €10.27

-71.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$17.35 €15.54

-37.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.31 €2.07

26.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$1.65 €1.48

2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.19 €1.96

2.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$2.56 €2.30

-18.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$1.36 €1.22

11.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$1.20 €1.08

15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$1.19 €1.07

-10.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$1.29 €1.16

-59.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$6.08 €5.45

-30.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

$11.07 €9.91

69.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

$1.69 €1.51

7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.46 €2.21

15.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.57 €0.51

154.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$53.2 €47.68

6.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$2.18 €1.95

38.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$1.44 €1.29

-29.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$12.39 €11.09

-70.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.90 €1.70

-22.63%

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

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$27.9K €25.0K

-4.12%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$26.0K €23.3K

2.60%

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

$96.4 ฿3,251

$215 €193

-55.17%

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

$11.26 ฿380

$22.34 €20.01

-49.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$38.73 €34.69

-56.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$48.65 €43.57

38.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

$18.95 €16.97

-43.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$10.41 €9.32

-27.95%

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

$476 ฿16.1K

$499 €447

-4.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$9,720 €8,705

15.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$109 €97.3

-42.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$42.23 €37.82

-32.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$102 €91.6

-7.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$111 €99.0

-22.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$888 €796

-19.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$683 €612

-28.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$1,468 €1,315

31.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$1,066 €955

34.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$5,275 €4,724

-20.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$3,670 €3,287

-17.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$1,975 €1,769

-74.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.3

68.79%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Zagreb

$683 38.5% 39.1% $192

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Zagreb

$314 17.7% 17.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Zagreb

$276 15.6% 122% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Zagreb

$164 9.2% 34.2% $42

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Zagreb

$202 11.4% 65.7% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Zagreb

$69 3.9% 15.5% $13

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Zagreb

$65 3.7% 8.1% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $888 in Zagreb. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zagreb pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $64 in Zagreb for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $314 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🕒 Local time

03:46 3:46 AM

21:46 9:46 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

767,131 Capital

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Zagreb 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zagreb

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 Zagreb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 75% 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 $888 in Zagreb. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $499 in Zagreb. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Zagreb. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,772 in Zagreb, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Zagreb. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Phuket and Zagreb are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Zagreb on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.