Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zajecar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zajecar: $1,221 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Phuket, Thailand
Zajecar, Serbia
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,294
/mo nomad
Zajecar
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,221
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zajecar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,294 in Phuket versus $1,221 in Zajecar.

  • Phuket $1,294
  • Zajecar $1,221

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,204 in Phuket versus $1,807 in Zajecar.

  • Phuket $2,204
  • Zajecar $1,807

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,115 in Phuket versus $2,392 in Zajecar.

  • Phuket $3,115
  • Zajecar $2,392

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 4% lower, Zajecar 10% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Zajecar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.39 ฿147
$10.05 RSD 1,050
-56.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$32.31 ฿1,085
$49.59 RSD 5,176
-34.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.70 ฿292
$12.21 RSD 1,274
-28.75%
Cappuccino
$2.72 ฿91.5
$2.63 RSD 275
3.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.93 ฿31.25
$2.49 RSD 260
-62.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ฿16.78
$1.89 RSD 198
-73.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.53 ฿85.0
$3.06 RSD 319
-17.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.63 ฿122
$3.71 RSD 387
-2.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Zajecar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.74 ฿58.4
$1.38 RSD 144
26.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.45 ฿48.73
$1.01 RSD 105
43.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$2.55 RSD 266
-41.18%
Eggs
$2.17 ฿73.0
$2.53 RSD 264
-14.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.09 ฿641
$13.19 RSD 1,377
44.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.40 ฿114
$7.37 RSD 769
-53.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿366
$13.90 RSD 1,451
-21.58%
Apples (1kg)
$2.94 ฿98.8
$1.75 RSD 182
68.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 ฿56.8
$1.97 RSD 206
-14.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.19 ฿73.7
$1.67 RSD 175
31.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.12 ฿71.4
$2.43 RSD 254
-12.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 ฿48.99
$1.05 RSD 109
39.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ฿45.95
$0.68 RSD 70.9
101.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 ฿36.14
$0.93 RSD 97.4
16.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿18.32
$0.65 RSD 67.9
-15.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.43 ฿149
$4.66 RSD 487
-4.94%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.25 ฿613
$7.44 RSD 776
145.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.5
$0.88 RSD 92.0
101.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 ฿96.8
$2.30 RSD 241
25.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Zajecar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.45 ฿48.62
$0.95 RSD 99.5
52.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.9 ฿1,844
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 ฿50.8
$2.73 RSD 285
-44.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ฿26.06
$0.79 RSD 82.8
-1.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.84 ฿129
$11.39 RSD 1,189
-66.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 ฿49.96
$1.64 RSD 171
-9.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.9K ฿902.9K
$30.6K RSD 3.2M
-12.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.3K ฿884.9K
$24.4K RSD 2.5M
8.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Zajecar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 ฿3,285
$223 RSD 23.3K
-56.11%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 ฿379
$21.26 RSD 2,220
-46.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.19 ฿577
$33.07 RSD 3,452
-48.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Zajecar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$68.3 ฿2,295
$30.48 RSD 3,182
124.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.92 ฿367
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.43 ฿250
$7.29 RSD 761
1.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Zajecar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$530 ฿17.8K
$374 RSD 39.1K
41.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.8K ฿630.9K
$8,226 RSD 858.7K
128.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Zajecar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 ฿2,072
$116 RSD 12.1K
-46.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$28.25 ฿949
$43.28 RSD 4,518
-34.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ฿3,225
$136 RSD 14.2K
-29.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 ฿2,916
$127 RSD 13.3K
-31.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Zajecar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$721 ฿24.2K
$346 RSD 36.1K
108.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$509 ฿17.1K
$268 RSD 28.0K
89.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,950 ฿65.5K
$407 RSD 42.5K
379.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,397 ฿46.9K
$373 RSD 38.9K
274.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 ฿140.8K
$2,211 RSD 230.8K
89.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,298 ฿110.8K
$1,405 RSD 146.7K
134.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Zajecar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$492 ฿16.5K
$881 RSD 91.9K
-44.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
5.02
10.96%

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

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Zajecar: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Phuket
$509
Zajecar
$268 47.3% $241
Groceries & Markets
Phuket
$267
Zajecar
$242 9.4% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
$126
Zajecar
$277 120% $151
Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
$123
Zajecar
$190 54.8% $67
Eating Out
Phuket
$120
Zajecar
$189 58% $69
Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
$83
Zajecar
$45 45.8% $38
Getting Around
Phuket
$66
Zajecar
$11 * 84.1% $56

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 $721 in Phuket and $346 in Zajecar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zajecar pays 79% 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 $50 in Zajecar. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $242, with Zajecar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Phuket
🇷🇸 Zajecar
🕒 Local time
10:43 10:43 AM
04:43 4:43 AM
6 h behind Phuket
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,308
32,448
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 118 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.51 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Phuket Zajecar 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Phuket
  • Zajecar

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 Zajecar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zajecar cheaper than Phuket?
Zajecar is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Phuket or Zajecar?
On paper, salaries run 44% 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.
What is the rent difference between Phuket and Zajecar?
Rent for a central apartment: $721 in Phuket versus $346 in Zajecar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $530 in Phuket versus $374 in Zajecar. 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 Zajecar?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $50 in Zajecar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 enough for either Phuket or Zajecar?
Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Zajecar gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Phuket or in Zajecar?
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 Zajecar?
Safety-wise, Phuket and Zajecar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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