Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rhodes and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,732 in Rhodes, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Rhodes
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Rhodes Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Rhodes

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,732

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,732 in Rhodes versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Rhodes $1,732
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,687 in Rhodes versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Rhodes $2,687
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,642 in Rhodes versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Rhodes $3,642
Phuket $3,154

Living in Rhodes is roughly 35% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Rhodes is 27% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.78 €16.87

$4.47 ฿151

320.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €61.2

$32.41 ฿1,094

110.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 €8.37

$8.81 ฿297

5.68%

Cappuccino

$4.37 €3.93

$2.83 ฿95.5

54.42%

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

$2.51 €2.26

$0.87 ฿29.43

188.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.82

$0.49 ฿16.67

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.50 €4.94

$2.56 ฿86.4

114.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.57

$3.68 ฿124

8.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.66 ฿56.0

31.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.46 ฿49.35

25.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.17 €4.64

$1.50 ฿50.6

244.67%

Eggs

$6.17 €5.54

$2.09 ฿70.5

195.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.04 €14.41

$19.07 ฿644

-15.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.42 €10.26

$3.30 ฿111

246.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.75 €16.85

$10.91 ฿368

71.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.98

$2.93 ฿99.0

-24.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.69 ฿57.1

26.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$2.25 ฿75.8

-34.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.44 €2.19

$2.08 ฿70.1

17.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.51 ฿51.0

11.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.38 ฿46.56

36.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.19

$1.07 ฿35.99

23.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.67

$0.52 ฿17.52

42.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 €4.72

$4.20 ฿142

25.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.12

$18.79 ฿634

-57.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.36

$1.82 ฿61.5

44.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 €1.50

$2.84 ฿95.9

-41.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.45 ฿49.03

68.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 €66.1

$56.7 ฿1,913

29.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 €3.07

$3.02 ฿102

12.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.02 ฿34.36

44.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.22 €10.08

$3.69 ฿125

204.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.97

$1.47 ฿49.81

48.98%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

5.70%

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

$26.3K €23.6K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.44%

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

$220 €198

$96.4 ฿3,254

128.40%

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

$26.46 €23.77

$11.26 ฿380

134.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.62 €26.61

$16.85 ฿569

75.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.3 €54.2

$67.2 ฿2,270

-10.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.13 €35.15

$10.73 ฿362

264.68%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 €8.01

$7.50 ฿253

18.80%

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

$468 €420

$476 ฿16.1K

-1.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,190 €8,255

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-18.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$150 €135

$62.4 ฿2,106

140.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.70 €30.27

$28.41 ฿959

18.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$94.3 ฿3,184

20.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €147

$85.8 ฿2,898

90.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$559 €502

$716 ฿24.2K

-21.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 €406

$491 ฿16.6K

-7.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 €925

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-46.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$772 €693

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-46.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,671 €3,297

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-12.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,742 €1,565

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-42.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,342 €1,205

$502 ฿17.0K

167.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.53

5.57

-18.67%

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

Last update for Rhodes: 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

Rhodes

$452 26.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 8.6% $39

Groceries & Markets

Rhodes

$344 19.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 22.6% $78

Eating Out

Rhodes

$280 16.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 56.5% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rhodes

$276 16%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 54.9% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Rhodes

$207 12%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 41.2% $86

Getting Around

Rhodes

$94 5.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 25% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Rhodes

$78 4.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 5.3% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $559 in Rhodes and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rhodes pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Rhodes vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Rhodes

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

03:32 3:32 AM

5 h ahead of Rhodes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,128

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

On the map

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Between locations

Rhodes Phuket 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Rhodes
Phuket

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

Rhodes vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Rhodes is about 2.7 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: $559 in Rhodes versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $468 in Rhodes versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Rhodes. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,732 in Rhodes, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Rhodes. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Rhodes 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, Rhodes on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.