Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portlaoise and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,347 in Portlaoise, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Portlaoise
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Portlaoise Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Portlaoise

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,347

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portlaoise 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 Portlaoise and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,347 in Portlaoise versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Portlaoise $2,347
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,746 in Portlaoise versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Portlaoise $3,746
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,145 in Portlaoise versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Portlaoise $5,145
Phuket $2,867

Living in Portlaoise is roughly 94% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Portlaoise is 74% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.70 €20.19

$4.58 ฿153

395.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €69.8

$32.48 ฿1,086

141.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.72 €11.31

$8.55 ฿286

48.77%

Cappuccino

$4.40 €3.91

$2.72 ฿91.0

61.76%

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

$2.50 €2.22

$0.94 ฿31.25

165.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$0.49 ฿16.39

246.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.60 €5.87

$2.59 ฿86.6

154.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 €5.44

$3.83 ฿128

59.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.74 ฿58.1

-1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.43 ฿47.82

57.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.53 ฿51.0

21.57%

Eggs

$4.62 €4.11

$2.17 ฿72.7

112.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.04 €12.48

$19.15 ฿640

-26.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.88 €11.45

$3.30 ฿110

290.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.74 €14.89

$11.14 ฿372

50.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$2.95 ฿98.5

12.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$1.68 ฿56.1

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.30 ฿76.8

41.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 €4.32

$2.13 ฿71.3

128.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.53 ฿51.1

51.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.36 ฿45.55

27.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.12 ฿37.44

23.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$0.55 ฿18.24

281.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.38 €18.12

$4.26 ฿142

378.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 €12.00

$18.19 ฿608

-25.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.10 €3.64

$1.74 ฿58.2

135.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$2.79 ฿93.3

29.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 €4.14

$2.22 ฿74.1

109.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.08 €39.21

$22.06 ฿737

99.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.23 €4.65

$2.91 ฿97.3

79.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.01 ฿33.79

53.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$3.83 ฿128

769.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.49 ฿49.85

36.24%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

45.53%

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

$38.0K €33.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

42.45%

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

$239 €212

$99.4 ฿3,321

140.22%

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

$21.79 €19.38

$11.28 ฿377

93.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.6 €49.40

$17.36 ฿580

219.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €49.22

$52.3 ฿1,747

5.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$13.45 €11.96

$7.57 ฿253

77.68%

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

$1,072 €953

$558 ฿18.7K

91.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,427 €4,827

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-52.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.5 €84.0

$62.9 ฿2,102

50.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.66 €37.94

$28.58 ฿955

49.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.2

$96.1 ฿3,213

12.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$88.1 ฿2,943

37.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 €1,093

$729 ฿24.4K

68.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$984 €875

$460 ฿15.4K

113.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,264 €2,014

$2,096 ฿70.0K

8.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,151 €1,913

$1,222 ฿40.8K

75.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 €2,477

$493 ฿16.5K

464.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Portlaoise: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portlaoise

$984 41.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 53.3% $524

Groceries & Markets

Portlaoise

$390 16.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 31.3% $122

Eating Out

Portlaoise

$335 14.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 63.7% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portlaoise

$316 13.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 59.5% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Portlaoise

$165 7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 24.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Portlaoise

$82 3.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 18% $15

Getting Around

Portlaoise

$76 3.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 48.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Portlaoise and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Portlaoise pays 465% 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: $78.0 in Portlaoise vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $390 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Portlaoise

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

6 h ahead of Portlaoise

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,494

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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Portlaoise Phuket 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Portlaoise vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 94% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 465% higher in Portlaoise, 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: $1,229 in Portlaoise versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,072 in Portlaoise versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Portlaoise. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,347 in Portlaoise, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Portlaoise. 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 Portlaoise, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Portlaoise 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 94% less than in Portlaoise. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.