Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Julians and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,257 in St. Julians, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in St. Julians
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St. Julians Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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St. Julians

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,257

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,257 in St. Julians versus $1,208 in Phuket.

St. Julians $2,257
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,588 in St. Julians versus $2,027 in Phuket.

St. Julians $3,588
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,919 in St. Julians versus $2,845 in Phuket.

St. Julians $4,919
Phuket $2,845

Living in St. Julians is roughly 87% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: St. Julians is 67% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 €17.90

$4.40 ฿147

357.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 €88.1

$32.26 ฿1,078

206.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 €9.87

$8.76 ฿293

26.60%

Cappuccino

$3.27 €2.91

$2.83 ฿94.5

15.55%

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

$3.06 €2.72

$0.90 ฿30.14

240.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.47 ฿15.56

304.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 €4.06

$2.55 ฿85.2

79.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.06

$3.83 ฿128

19.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.73 ฿57.7

-28.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.47 ฿49.11

19.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 €3.00

$1.51 ฿50.6

123.84%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.04

$2.17 ฿72.7

109.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 €16.75

$19.70 ฿658

-4.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 €9.46

$3.34 ฿112

218.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 €15.97

$11.16 ฿373

60.84%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.85 ฿95.1

6.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.70 ฿56.9

20.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$2.19 ฿73.3

31.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$2.05 ฿68.4

94.63%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.45 ฿48.57

67.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.38 ฿46.16

73.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.07 ฿35.69

78.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.51 ฿16.91

74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 €6.02

$4.26 ฿142

58.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.21 €6.42

$18.58 ฿621

-61.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.78 ฿59.7

-8.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$2.85 ฿95.2

-17.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.26 ฿75.6

12.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 €4.09

$3.01 ฿101

52.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.06 ฿35.34

55.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.13 €34.80

$3.86 ฿129

913.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.45 ฿48.45

6.21%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

4.48%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

46.73%

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

$76.7 €68.2

$96.4 ฿3,221

-20.47%

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

$35.28 €31.38

$11.04 ฿369

219.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.16 €31.27

$17.14 ฿573

105.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.5 €84.1

$52.2 ฿1,744

81.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.97 €35.56

$11.16 ฿373

258.15%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 €10.13

$7.81 ฿261

45.84%

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

$618 €550

$556 ฿18.6K

11.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K €12.4K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

20.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$146 €130

$64.2 ฿2,146

127.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 €49.02

$28.69 ฿959

92.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$95.4 ฿3,187

26.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €146

$88.0 ฿2,940

86.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 €1,237

$737 ฿24.6K

88.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 €999

$462 ฿15.5K

143.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,555 €2,273

$2,095 ฿70.0K

21.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 €1,816

$1,201 ฿40.1K

70.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,727 €5,094

$3,488 ฿116.6K

64.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,143 €2,796

$2,523 ฿84.3K

24.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,426 €2,158

$501 ฿16.7K

384.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.22

5.57

-42.19%

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

Last update for St. Julians: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Julians

$1.1K 49.8%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 58.9% $661

Groceries & Markets

St. Julians

$342 15.1%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 21.4% $73

Eating Out

St. Julians

$285 12.6%

Phuket

$121 10% 57.5% $164

Clothing & Footwear

St. Julians

$219 9.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 43.2% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Julians

$147 6.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 15.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

St. Julians

$117 5.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 42.2% $50

Getting Around

St. Julians

$23 * 1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 71% $16

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 $1,391 in St. Julians and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Julians pays 385% 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: $99.0 in St. Julians vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 St. Julians

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

19:31 7:31 PM

5 h ahead of St. Julians

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,792

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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St. Julians Phuket 8,950 km ≈ 12 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

St. Julians vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 87% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 385% higher in St. Julians, 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: $1,391 in St. Julians versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $618 in St. Julians versus $556 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 $32.00 versus $99.0 in St. Julians. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,257 in St. Julians, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in St. Julians. 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 St. Julians, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, St. Julians 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 87% less than in St. Julians. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.