Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rethymno and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,358 in Rethymno, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Rethymno
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Rethymno Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rethymno

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,358

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,358 in Rethymno versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Rethymno $1,358
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,031 in Rethymno versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Rethymno $2,031
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,703 in Rethymno versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Rethymno $2,703
Phuket $3,154

Living in Rethymno is roughly 6% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.69 €11.40

$4.47 ฿151

183.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.1 €50.4

$32.41 ฿1,094

73.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 €9.21

$8.81 ฿297

16.35%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.18

$2.83 ฿95.5

25.09%

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

$1.67 €1.50

$0.87 ฿29.43

91.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$0.49 ฿16.67

18.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.08

$2.56 ฿86.4

77.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 €4.71

$3.68 ฿124

42.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 €1.42

$1.66 ฿56.0

-4.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.46 ฿49.35

-17.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.50 ฿50.6

50.67%

Eggs

$4.48 €4.02

$2.09 ฿70.5

114.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.17 €13.63

$19.07 ฿644

-20.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 €8.69

$3.30 ฿111

193.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.43 €13.86

$10.91 ฿368

41.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$2.93 ฿99.0

-32.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.69 ฿57.1

17.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 €1.11

$2.25 ฿75.8

-44.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.53

$2.08 ฿70.1

-18.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 €0.86

$1.51 ฿51.0

-36.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.38 ฿46.56

-26.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 €0.62

$1.07 ฿35.99

-35.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.52 ฿17.52

42.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 €3.94

$4.20 ฿142

4.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.19

$18.79 ฿634

-63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.82 ฿61.5

-0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.64

$2.84 ฿95.9

-35.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.45 ฿49.03

24.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 €4.11

$3.02 ฿102

51.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.02 ฿34.36

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.38 €10.22

$3.69 ฿125

208.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.47 ฿49.81

50.34%

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

$22.4K €20.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-16.33%

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

$24.5K €22.0K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-8.13%

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

$191 €171

$96.4 ฿3,254

97.97%

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

$18.37 €16.50

$11.26 ฿380

63.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.03 €27.88

$16.85 ฿569

84.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 €54.9

$67.2 ฿2,270

-9.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 €7.60

$7.50 ฿253

12.80%

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

$366 €329

$476 ฿16.1K

-23.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,964 €3,561

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-64.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €79.2

$62.4 ฿2,106

41.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.04 €9.91

$28.41 ฿959

-61.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.52 €39.99

$94.3 ฿3,184

-52.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.41 €39.90

$85.8 ฿2,898

-48.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 €492

$716 ฿24.2K

-23.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 €401

$491 ฿16.6K

-8.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 €820

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-52.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 €629

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-51.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,172 €3,748

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-0.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,963 €2,662

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-2.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,201 €1,079

$502 ฿17.0K

139.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

5.57

-22.80%

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

Last update for Rethymno: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rethymno

$447 32.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 9.8% $44

Groceries & Markets

Rethymno

$273 20.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 2.6% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rethymno

$240 17.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 48.2% $116

Eating Out

Rethymno

$217 16%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 43.9% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Rethymno

$85 6.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 43.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Rethymno

$78 5.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 5.3% $4.2

Getting Around

Rethymno

$18 * 1.3%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 303% $53

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 $548 in Rethymno and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rethymno pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Rethymno vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Rethymno

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

5 h ahead of Rethymno

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,763

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Rethymno Phuket 8,050 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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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

Rethymno vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Rethymno is about 2.4 times higher, 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: $548 in Rethymno versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $366 in Rethymno versus $476 in Phuket. 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 $56 in Rethymno. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket 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, Rethymno and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Rethymno on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.