Cost of Living Comparison Between Swords and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Swords and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,605 in Swords versus $1,261 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,727 in Swords versus $2,286 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,850 in Swords versus $3,310 in Phuket.

Living in Swords is roughly 106% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Swords is 94% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.54 €16.07

$4.56 ฿150

306.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 €84.2

$46.63 ฿1,535

108.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.41 €9.02

$8.47 ฿279

22.90%

Cappuccino

$4.41 €3.83

$3.03 ฿99.7

45.54%

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

$2.33 €2.02

$0.69 ฿22.69

237.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.35

$0.37 ฿12.04

321.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 €6.03

$2.49 ฿81.9

179.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.39 €5.54

$3.66 ฿120

74.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 €1.30

$2.18 ฿71.8

-31.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.94

$1.90 ฿62.6

17.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 €1.80

$2.20 ฿72.4

-5.45%

Eggs

$3.97 €3.44

$2.22 ฿73.2

78.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.03 €9.56

$19.99 ฿658

-44.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.46 €9.06

$3.66 ฿121

185.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.15 €10.53

$13.25 ฿436

-8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 €2.49

$3.23 ฿106

-11.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.73

$1.70 ฿55.9

17.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 €2.47

$2.39 ฿78.8

19.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 €3.02

$2.08 ฿68.4

67.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 €1.19

$1.59 ฿52.4

-13.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.28

$1.48 ฿48.83

-0.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.14

$1.03 ฿33.90

27.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.43

$0.52 ฿17.01

217.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.34 €16.76

$4.25 ฿140

355.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.80 €11.96

$18.79 ฿618

-26.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.60 €3.12

$1.76 ฿57.8

104.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 €3.49

$2.76 ฿90.8

46.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 €2.16

$1.36 ฿44.79

83.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 €86.8

$11.36 ฿374

782.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 €4.31

$3.14 ฿103

58.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 €1.83

$1.04 ฿34.10

103.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.00 €33.80

$13.77 ฿453

183.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.78

$1.34 ฿44.26

53.73%

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

$43.3K €37.5K

$27.7K ฿911.1K

56.27%

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

$39.7K €34.4K

$33.9K ฿1.1M

17.14%

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

$279 €242

$124 ฿4,069

125.86%

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

$23.18 €20.09

$13.52 ฿445

71.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 €47.17

$18.69 ฿615

191.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.15 €34.80

$61.8 ฿2,035

-35.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.25 ฿568

Cinema Ticket

$13.67 €11.84

$9.14 ฿301

49.56%

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

$1,063 €921

$703 ฿23.1K

51.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,152 €7,065

$15.9K ฿522.5K

-48.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 €77.8

$59.5 ฿1,958

50.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.68 €34.39

$35.07 ฿1,154

13.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €88.9

$115 ฿3,795

-11.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €92.3

$84.1 ฿2,767

26.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,457 €1,263

$619 ฿20.4K

135.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 €1,069

$433 ฿14.2K

185.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,427 €2,104

$2,062 ฿67.9K

17.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 €1,733

$1,511 ฿49.7K

32.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,064 €3,522

$3,646 ฿120.0K

11.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,178 €2,755

$2,626 ฿86.4K

21.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$507 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

5.33

-24.20%

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

Last update for Swords: June 8, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,457 in Swords and $619 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $97.0 in Swords vs $47.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $324 vs $293 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Swords vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 106% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,907 in Swords and $1,892 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: $1,457 in Swords versus $619 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,063 in Swords versus $703 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Swords. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,261 in Phuket versus $2,605 in Swords, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Swords. 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 Swords, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Swords 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 106% less than in Swords. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.