Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samos and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,411 in Samos, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Samos
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Samos Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Samos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,411

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,411 in Samos versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Samos $1,411
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,081 in Samos versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Samos $2,081
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,751 in Samos versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Samos $2,751
Phuket $2,845

Living in Samos is roughly 17% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Samos is 4% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.13 €9.90

$4.40 ฿147

152.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.72 €35.33

$32.26 ฿1,078

23.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 €6.11

$8.76 ฿293

-21.58%

Cappuccino

$3.02 €2.68

$2.83 ฿94.5

6.71%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$0.90 ฿30.14

162.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.47 ฿15.56

87.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 €3.67

$2.55 ฿85.2

61.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 €5.74

$3.83 ฿128

68.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.73 ฿57.7

-11.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.47 ฿49.11

-6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.51 ฿50.6

72.85%

Eggs

$4.56 €4.06

$2.17 ฿72.7

110.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 €11.78

$19.70 ฿658

-32.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 €8.59

$3.34 ฿112

188.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 €12.59

$11.16 ฿373

26.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.85 ฿95.1

-24.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.70 ฿56.9

18.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.19 ฿73.3

-35.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$2.05 ฿68.4

-5.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.45 ฿48.57

-20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.38 ฿46.16

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.07 ฿35.69

1.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.51 ฿16.91

66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 €4.77

$4.26 ฿142

26.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.02

$18.58 ฿621

-63.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.78 ฿59.7

15.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.85 ฿95.2

-8.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.21

$2.26 ฿75.6

-39.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.20 €39.32

$22.10 ฿738

100.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 €3.83

$3.01 ฿101

42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.06 ฿35.34

2.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.66

$3.86 ฿129

326.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.45 ฿48.45

48.28%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

6.75%

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

$25.3K €22.5K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-6.20%

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

$207 €184

$96.4 ฿3,221

115.14%

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

$23.54 €20.94

$11.04 ฿369

113.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.70 €27.31

$17.14 ฿573

79.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 €45.61

$52.2 ฿1,744

-1.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.38 €22.57

$11.16 ฿373

127.42%

Cinema Ticket

$8.94 €7.96

$7.81 ฿261

14.47%

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

$429 €382

$556 ฿18.6K

-22.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,664 €6,817

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-33.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 €80.0

$64.2 ฿2,146

40.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 €35.59

$28.69 ฿959

39.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 €77.1

$95.4 ฿3,187

-9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$88.0 ฿2,940

38.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 €428

$737 ฿24.6K

-34.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 €356

$462 ฿15.5K

-13.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-64.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 €544

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-49.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,683 €2,387

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-23.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,181 €1,940

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-13.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$990 €881

$501 ฿16.7K

97.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

5.57

-19.93%

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

Last update for Samos: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samos

$400 28.4%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 15.5% $62

Groceries & Markets

Samos

$276 19.6%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 2.7% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samos

$262 18.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 52.4% $137

Eating Out

Samos

$192 13.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 37% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Samos

$152 10.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18.3% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Samos

$69 4.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2% $1.4

Getting Around

Samos

$59 4.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 33.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Samos and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samos pays 98% 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: $40.00 in Samos vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Samos

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

4 h ahead of Samos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,814

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Samos Phuket 7,850 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Samos
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

Samos vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Samos, 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: $481 in Samos versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $429 in Samos versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Samos. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,411 in Samos, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Samos. 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 Samos, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Samos 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 17% less than in Samos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.