Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scalea and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,723 in Scalea, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Scalea
Learn more

Scalea Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Scalea

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,723

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,723 in Scalea versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Scalea $1,723
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,482 in Scalea versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Scalea $2,482
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,241 in Scalea versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Scalea $3,241
Phuket $3,154

Living in Scalea 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: Scalea is 27% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 €15.09

$4.47 ฿151

275.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.8

$32.41 ฿1,094

74.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.90

$8.81 ฿297

25.09%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.89

$2.83 ฿95.5

-25.80%

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

$2.96 €2.66

$0.87 ฿29.43

240.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$0.49 ฿16.67

324.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.92

$2.56 ฿86.4

157.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 €3.71

$3.68 ฿124

12.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.66 ฿56.0

-24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.46 ฿49.35

15.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 €2.35

$1.50 ฿50.6

74.67%

Eggs

$3.41 €3.06

$2.09 ฿70.5

63.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.04 €9.92

$19.07 ฿644

-42.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 €10.51

$3.30 ฿111

254.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 €14.18

$10.91 ฿368

44.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.93 ฿99.0

-32.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.69 ฿57.1

2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 €1.25

$2.25 ฿75.8

-38.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.64 €2.37

$2.08 ฿70.1

26.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.51 ฿51.0

15.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.38 ฿46.56

-5.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.07 ฿35.99

19.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 €0.42

$0.52 ฿17.52

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.12

$4.20 ฿142

62.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 €7.01

$18.79 ฿634

-58.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.82 ฿61.5

0.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.37

$2.84 ฿95.9

-46.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.45 ฿49.03

14.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.62 €34.69

$56.7 ฿1,913

-31.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 €4.11

$3.02 ฿102

51.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.02 ฿34.36

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.00 €19.76

$3.69 ฿125

496.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.91

$1.47 ฿49.81

44.22%

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

$36.0K €32.3K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

34.41%

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

$37.6K €33.8K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

40.88%

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

$315 €283

$96.4 ฿3,254

226.42%

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

$10.52 €9.45

$11.26 ฿380

-6.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.57 €31.05

$16.85 ฿569

105.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.1 €47.73

$67.2 ฿2,270

-20.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.55 €20.26

$10.73 ฿362

110.16%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.14

$7.50 ฿253

20.93%

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

$445 €400

$476 ฿16.1K

-6.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,807 €6,114

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-39.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.0 €74.6

$62.4 ฿2,106

33.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.18 €30.70

$28.41 ฿959

20.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €76.3

$94.3 ฿3,184

-9.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €116

$85.8 ฿2,898

50.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$700 €629

$716 ฿24.2K

-2.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 €500

$491 ฿16.6K

13.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 €987

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-42.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €735

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-42.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,452 €1,304

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-65.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,141 €1,025

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-62.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

5.57

-36.27%

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

Last update for Scalea: 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

Scalea

$556 32.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 11.7% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scalea

$360 20.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 65.4% $235

Groceries & Markets

Scalea

$278 16.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 4.2% $12

Eating Out

Scalea

$254 14.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 52.1% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Scalea

$149 8.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 18.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Scalea

$71 4.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 15.4% $11

Getting Around

Scalea

$56 3.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 27.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $700 in Scalea and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $57 in Scalea vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Scalea

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

6 h ahead of Scalea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,913

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Scalea Phuket 8,820 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Scalea
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

Scalea vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,585 in Scalea and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $700 in Scalea versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $445 in Scalea 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 4% higher in Scalea. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,723 in Scalea, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Scalea. 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, Scalea 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.