Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zalaegerszeg

For one person, living is cheaper in Zalaegerszeg: $1,079 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Zalaegerszeg
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Zalaegerszeg Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Zalaegerszeg

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zalaegerszeg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg.

Phuket $1,207
Zalaegerszeg $1,079

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,632 in Zalaegerszeg.

Phuket $2,037
Zalaegerszeg $1,632

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $2,185 in Zalaegerszeg.

Phuket $2,867
Zalaegerszeg $2,185

Living in Phuket is roughly 12% more expensive than in Zalaegerszeg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Zalaegerszeg 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$13.95 Ft 4,522

-67.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,088

$61.5 Ft 19.9K

-47.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$9.40 Ft 3,046

-9.04%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.2

$2.99 Ft 968

-9.03%

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

$0.94 ฿31.32

$2.05 Ft 663

-54.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.43

$1.29 Ft 418

-62.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.8

$1.97 Ft 639

31.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.03 Ft 659

88.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.19 Ft 384

46.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.92

$1.49 Ft 481

-4.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$2.50 Ft 810

-38.80%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.8

$3.46 Ft 1,120

-37.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿641

$11.38 Ft 3,688

68.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$5.85 Ft 1,895

-43.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿373

$12.48 Ft 4,045

-10.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.7

$1.84 Ft 597

60.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.2

$2.05 Ft 663

-18.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.0

$2.03 Ft 657

13.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.4

$4.01 Ft 1,298

-46.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.2

$1.04 Ft 339

47.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.64

$1.00 Ft 323

36.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.52

$1.33 Ft 432

-15.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.28

$0.55 Ft 177

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿143

$7.83 Ft 2,538

-45.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿609

$6.17 Ft 2,001

194.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.12 Ft 364

55.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.5

$2.09 Ft 677

33.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.2

$1.14 Ft 370

94.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿739

$18.30 Ft 5,930

20.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.5

$3.41 Ft 1,104

-14.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.87

$1.25 Ft 404

-19.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$20.06 Ft 6,502

-80.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.95

$1.80 Ft 583

-17.22%

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

$26.7K ฿893.5K

$28.6K Ft 9.3M

-6.63%

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

$26.7K ฿894.5K

$33.8K Ft 11.0M

-20.99%

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

$99.4 ฿3,328

$144 Ft 46.6K

-30.92%

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

$11.28 ฿378

$23.83 Ft 7,724

-52.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿581

$23.45 Ft 7,599

-25.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,751

$38.51 Ft 12.5K

35.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿363

$36.86 Ft 11.9K

-70.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.45 Ft 2,416

1.61%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$216 Ft 70.1K

157.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿384.7K

$17.0K Ft 5.5M

-32.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,106

$29.98 Ft 9,718

109.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿957

$24.66 Ft 7,994

15.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,220

$51.0 Ft 16.5K

88.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,949

$55.7 Ft 18.1K

58.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$332 Ft 107.5K

119.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$286 Ft 92.8K

60.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.2K

$454 Ft 147.0K

362.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.9K

$311 Ft 100.9K

292.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.8K

$1,818 Ft 589.3K

90.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.4K

$1,519 Ft 492.2K

63.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$762 Ft 247.0K

-35.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.45

-13.64%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zalaegerszeg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Zalaegerszeg

$286 26.6% 37.8% $174

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Zalaegerszeg

$240 22.3% 10.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Zalaegerszeg

$191 17.7% 49.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Zalaegerszeg

$73 6.7% 41.5% $51

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Zalaegerszeg

$203 18.8% 67.2% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Zalaegerszeg

$53 5% 20.8% $14

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Zalaegerszeg

$33 3% 16.4% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $332 in Zalaegerszeg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zalaegerszeg pays 55% 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 $61.0 in Zalaegerszeg. Groceries flip the comparison at $268 vs $240, with Zalaegerszeg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇭🇺 Zalaegerszeg

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

19:07 7:07 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

55,152

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 33.49 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Zalaegerszeg 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zalaegerszeg

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 Zalaegerszeg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zalaegerszeg is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Zalaegerszeg. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $332 in Zalaegerszeg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $216 in Zalaegerszeg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zalaegerszeg but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zalaegerszeg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zalaegerszeg 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 Zalaegerszeg 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 Zalaegerszeg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.