Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliema and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,396 in Sliema, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Sliema
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Sliema Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Sliema

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,396

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Sliema versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Sliema $2,396
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,794 in Sliema versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Sliema $3,794
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,191 in Sliema versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Sliema $5,191
Phuket $2,867

Living in Sliema is roughly 98% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sliema is 77% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.81 €17.63

$4.58 ฿153

332.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 €76.2

$32.48 ฿1,086

163.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 €11.77

$8.55 ฿286

54.85%

Cappuccino

$2.77 €2.47

$2.72 ฿91.0

1.84%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$0.94 ฿31.25

221.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.49 ฿16.39

340.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.09

$2.59 ฿86.6

77.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.24 €4.66

$3.83 ฿128

36.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.74 ฿58.1

-22.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.43 ฿47.82

-4.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$1.53 ฿51.0

177.12%

Eggs

$4.30 €3.82

$2.17 ฿72.7

98.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.27 €7.35

$19.15 ฿640

-56.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 €9.12

$3.30 ฿110

210.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$11.14 ฿372

63.46%

Apples (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$2.95 ฿98.5

43.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$1.68 ฿56.1

67.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 €3.13

$2.30 ฿76.8

53.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.95

$2.13 ฿71.3

55.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.53 ฿51.1

58.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.36 ฿45.55

50.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.12 ฿37.44

108.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.55 ฿18.24

136.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.08

$4.26 ฿142

60.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.09 €7.19

$18.19 ฿608

-55.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.74 ฿58.2

-3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.79 ฿93.3

-13.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.22 ฿74.1

-2.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €118

$22.06 ฿737

503.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$2.91 ฿97.3

93.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.01 ฿33.79

117.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.09 €24.10

$3.83 ฿128

607.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.49 ฿49.85

3.36%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

42.14%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

48.29%

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

$103 €91.9

$99.4 ฿3,321

4.00%

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

$25.61 €22.78

$11.28 ฿377

127.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.84 €38.10

$17.36 ฿580

146.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 €68.0

$52.3 ฿1,747

46.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.86 €14.11

$10.85 ฿362

46.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 €9.08

$7.57 ฿253

34.74%

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

$366 €326

$558 ฿18.7K

-34.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,912

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-2.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.0

$62.9 ฿2,102

35.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.84 €36.33

$28.58 ฿955

42.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.0

$96.1 ฿3,213

5.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 €68.2

$88.1 ฿2,943

-12.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 €1,579

$729 ฿24.4K

143.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 €1,085

$460 ฿15.4K

165.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,913 €2,591

$2,096 ฿70.0K

38.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 €2,122

$1,222 ฿40.8K

95.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,353 €4,762

$3,459 ฿115.6K

54.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,578 €3,183

$2,489 ฿83.2K

43.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,815 €1,614

$493 ฿16.5K

268.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

5.57

-47.94%

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

Last update for Sliema: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sliema

$1.2K 50.9%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 62.3% $760

Groceries & Markets

Sliema

$326 13.6%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 18.1% $59

Eating Out

Sliema

$286 11.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 57.5% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliema

$172 7.2%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 25.5% $44

Getting Around

Sliema

$158 6.6%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 75.5% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Sliema

$137 5.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 9.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sliema

$97 4%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 30.4% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,775 in Sliema and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sliema pays 268% 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: $86.0 in Sliema vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Sliema

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

21:56 9:56 PM

5 h ahead of Sliema

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,854

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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Between locations

Sliema Phuket 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sliema
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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

Sliema vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 98% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 268% higher in Sliema, 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: $1,775 in Sliema versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $366 in Sliema 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 22% higher in Sliema. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,396 in Sliema, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Sliema. 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 Sliema, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sliema 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 98% less than in Sliema. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.