Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zepce

For one person, living is cheaper in Zepce: $1,080 a month against $1,208 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
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Zepce
Learn more

Zepce Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Zepce

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,080

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zepce

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,080 in Zepce.

Phuket $1,208
Zepce $1,080

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,658 in Zepce.

Phuket $2,027
Zepce $1,658

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $2,235 in Zepce.

Phuket $2,845
Zepce $2,235

Living in Phuket is roughly 12% more expensive than in Zepce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿148

$9.84 BAM 17.17

-55.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,089

$51.5 BAM 89.9

-37.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿296

$10.98 BAM 19.15

-20.22%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.79 BAM 3.12

58.10%

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

$0.90 ฿30.43

$2.60 BAM 4.54

-65.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.71

$1.62 BAM 2.82

-70.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿86.0

$2.46 BAM 4.30

3.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿129

$3.39 BAM 5.91

12.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿58.2

$1.39 BAM 2.42

24.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.58

$1.18 BAM 2.06

24.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.1

$1.60 BAM 2.79

-5.63%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$2.81 BAM 4.90

-22.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿665

$9.73 BAM 16.97

102.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿113

$8.85 BAM 15.44

-62.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿377

$13.83 BAM 24.13

-19.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿96.0

$1.77 BAM 3.09

61.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿57.5

$1.95 BAM 3.41

-12.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$2.16 BAM 3.77

1.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿69.0

$2.24 BAM 3.90

-8.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿49.03

$0.99 BAM 1.72

46.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.60

$1.41 BAM 2.46

-2.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿36.04

$1.13 BAM 1.97

-5.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.07

$0.91 BAM 1.58

-43.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$3.80 BAM 6.63

12.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿627

$8.29 BAM 14.47

124.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿60.2

$0.95 BAM 1.65

87.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿96.1

$1.39 BAM 2.43

105.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿76.3

$1.38 BAM 2.40

63.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿102

$1.68 BAM 2.93

79.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$1.18 BAM 2.06

-10.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿130

$17.42 BAM 30.38

-77.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.91

$1.69 BAM 2.94

-14.20%

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

$26.3K ฿888.3K

$30.0K BAM 52.3K

-12.25%

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

$26.9K ฿909.1K

$21.4K BAM 37.4K

25.84%

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

$96.4 ฿3,252

$158 BAM 275

-38.85%

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

$11.04 ฿372

$16.18 BAM 28.23

-31.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿578

$36.75 BAM 64.1

-53.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,760

$32.50 BAM 56.7

60.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿376

$11.42 BAM 19.92

-2.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿263

$2.89 BAM 5.04

170.24%

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

$556 ฿18.8K

$288 BAM 502

93.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿390.7K

$3,555 BAM 6,202

225.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,166

$83.9 BAM 146

-23.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿968

$35.69 BAM 62.3

-19.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,217

$106 BAM 184

-9.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,968

$145 BAM 253

-39.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.9K

$294 BAM 514

150.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.6K

$239 BAM 416

93.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.7K

$579 BAM 1,009

262.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.5K

$356 BAM 622

236.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿117.7K

$2,734 BAM 4,770

27.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿85.1K

$1,777 BAM 3,101

41.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.44

25.45%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zepce: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Zepce

$239 22.1% 48.4% $224

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Zepce

$244 22.6% 9.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Zepce

$211 19.5% 69% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Zepce

$167 15.4% 34% $42

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Zepce

$169 15.7% 39.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Zepce

$38 3.5% 43.5% $30

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Zepce

$13 * 1.2% 66.8% $26

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 $737 in Phuket and $294 in Zepce. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $52 in Zepce. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $244, with Zepce cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇦 Zepce

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

19:12 7:12 PM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

7,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Zepce 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zepce

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 Zepce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $1,813 in Phuket and $1,620 in Zepce 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $294 in Zepce. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $288 in Zepce. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $52 in Zepce. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Zepce gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

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