Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Podgorica and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,328 in Podgorica, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Podgorica
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Podgorica Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Podgorica

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,328

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Podgorica and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Podgorica and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,328 in Podgorica versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Podgorica $1,328
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,094 in Podgorica versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Podgorica $2,094
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,860 in Podgorica versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Podgorica $2,860
Phuket $2,867

Living in Podgorica is roughly 10% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Podgorica 2% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.37 €10.12

$4.58 ฿153

148.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.91 €39.95

$32.48 ฿1,086

38.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 €9.26

$8.55 ฿286

21.75%

Cappuccino

$2.23 €1.98

$2.72 ฿91.0

-18.01%

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

$2.57 €2.29

$0.94 ฿31.25

173.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.49 ฿16.39

187.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.59 ฿86.6

21.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.83 ฿128

-11.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.74 ฿58.1

-24.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.43 ฿47.82

-34.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.53 ฿51.0

29.41%

Eggs

$3.53 €3.14

$2.17 ฿72.7

62.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 €7.86

$19.15 ฿640

-53.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 €7.19

$3.30 ฿110

145.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.95 €10.63

$11.14 ฿372

7.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$2.95 ฿98.5

-47.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.68 ฿56.1

-2.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.30 ฿76.8

-22.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$2.13 ฿71.3

11.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 €0.84

$1.53 ฿51.1

-37.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.36 ฿45.55

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.12 ฿37.44

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.69

$0.55 ฿18.24

41.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 €3.79

$4.26 ฿142

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.08

$18.19 ฿608

-68.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.74 ฿58.2

-37.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.79 ฿93.3

-39.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 €0.90

$2.22 ฿74.1

-54.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.57 €29.86

$22.06 ฿737

52.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 €0.68

$2.91 ฿97.3

-73.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 €0.67

$1.01 ฿33.79

-24.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.32 €10.07

$3.83 ฿128

195.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.49 ฿49.85

24.83%

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

$30.9K €27.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

15.73%

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

$25.9K €23.0K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-3.16%

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

$126 €112

$99.4 ฿3,321

26.83%

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

$18.89 €16.80

$11.28 ฿377

67.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.22 €27.77

$17.36 ฿580

79.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.05 €42.74

$52.3 ฿1,747

-8.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.53 €12.03

$10.85 ฿362

24.70%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 €5.64

$7.57 ฿253

-16.25%

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

$335 €298

$558 ฿18.7K

-39.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,336 €6,525

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-36.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.8 €77.2

$62.9 ฿2,102

38.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.78 €41.61

$28.58 ฿955

63.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.4 €87.5

$96.1 ฿3,213

2.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.0

$88.1 ฿2,943

21.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 €576

$729 ฿24.4K

-11.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$485 €431

$460 ฿15.4K

5.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,317 €1,172

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-37.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$979 €871

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-19.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,975 €2,646

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-13.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,252 €2,003

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-9.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,162 €1,034

$493 ฿16.5K

135.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.22

5.57

-6.28%

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

Last update for Podgorica: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Podgorica

$485 36.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 5.2% $25

Groceries & Markets

Podgorica

$224 16.9%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 19.4% $43

Eating Out

Podgorica

$187 14.1%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 35.3% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Podgorica

$176 13.3%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 27.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Podgorica

$152 11.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Podgorica

$61 4.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 11% $6.7

Getting Around

Podgorica

$42 3.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 7.8% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $647 in Podgorica and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Podgorica pays 136% 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: $45.00 in Podgorica vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $224 vs $268, with Podgorica cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇪 Podgorica

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

18:28 6:28 PM

5 h ahead of Podgorica

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

150,799 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Podgorica Phuket 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Podgorica
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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

Podgorica vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 136% higher in Podgorica, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $647 in Podgorica versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $335 in Podgorica versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Podgorica pay roughly 19% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,328 in Podgorica, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Podgorica. 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 Podgorica, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Podgorica and Phuket 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Podgorica. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.