Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Zugdidi

For one person, living is cheaper in Zugdidi: $701 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Zugdidi
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Zugdidi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Zugdidi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$701

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Zugdidi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $701 in Zugdidi.

Phuket $1,208
Zugdidi $701

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,134 in Zugdidi.

Phuket $2,027
Zugdidi $1,134

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,567 in Zugdidi.

Phuket $2,845
Zugdidi $1,567

Living in Phuket is roughly 72% more expensive than in Zugdidi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Zugdidi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$11.18 ₾28.93

-60.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$31.24 ₾80.9

3.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.92 ₾15.32

47.97%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$3.48 ₾9.01

-18.68%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.54 ₾1.41

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.26 ₾0.67

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.69 ₾6.96

-5.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.15 ₾8.15

21.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$2.15 ₾5.56

-19.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.79 ₾2.05

86.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.81 ₾4.69

-16.57%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.75 ₾7.13

-21.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$9.31 ₾24.10

111.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$6.39 ₾16.53

-47.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$13.12 ₾33.95

-14.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.61 ₾4.17

77.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.86 ₾4.82

-8.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.93 ₾5.00

13.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$2.39 ₾6.19

-14.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.88 ₾2.28

64.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.69 ₾1.80

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$1.42 ₾3.67

-24.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.47 ₾1.23

8.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.41 ₾8.82

24.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$7.85 ₾20.32

136.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.71 ₾4.42

4.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.30 ₾5.95

23.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.18 ₾0.46

1155.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.14 ₾2.96

164.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.74 ₾1.91

43.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$11.84 ₾30.65

-67.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.92 ₾2.37

57.61%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$18.3K ₾47.5K

43.55%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$21.6K ₾55.9K

24.72%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$89.5 ₾232

7.65%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$12.90 ₾33.40

-14.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$19.38 ₾50.2

-11.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$24.73 ₾64.0

111.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$4.72 ₾12.23

65.47%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$374 ₾968

48.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$10.7K ₾27.8K

7.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$23.62 ₾61.1

171.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$39.47 ₾102

-27.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$118 ₾305

-19.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$126 ₾326

-30.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$268 ₾694

86.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.62

-55.86%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zugdidi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Zugdidi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Zugdidi

$230 32.8% 14.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Zugdidi

$122 17.4% 2.2% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Zugdidi

$138 19.7% 11% $14

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Zugdidi

$172 24.5% 41.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Zugdidi

$34 4.9% 49.6% $34

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Zugdidi

$5.6 * 0.8% 85.9% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays 87% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $31.00 in Zugdidi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $230 per month, with Zugdidi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇬🇪 Zugdidi

🕒 Local time

20:18 8:18 PM

17:18 5:18 PM

3 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

41,332

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Zugdidi 6,700 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Zugdidi

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 Zugdidi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zugdidi is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 72% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Phuket, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $374 in Zugdidi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Zugdidi – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $701 in Zugdidi versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zugdidi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Zugdidi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Zugdidi 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 Zugdidi 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 Zugdidi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 72% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.