Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tapa and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tapa: $1,132 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Tapa
Learn more

Tapa Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Tapa

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,132

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,132 in Tapa versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Tapa $1,132
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,765 in Tapa versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Tapa $1,765
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,398 in Tapa versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Tapa $2,398
Phuket $2,867

Living in Tapa costs roughly 6% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tapa 16% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.75 €14.94

$4.58 ฿154

265.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 €63.5

$32.48 ฿1,089

119.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 €9.99

$8.55 ฿287

30.99%

Cappuccino

$4.07 €3.63

$2.72 ฿91.2

49.63%

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

$3.29 €2.93

$0.94 ฿31.33

250.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.84 €3.42

$0.49 ฿16.44

683.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.29 €5.61

$2.59 ฿86.8

142.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.34 €6.55

$3.83 ฿128

91.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.74 ฿58.2

-28.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.43 ฿47.95

30.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.53 ฿51.2

56.86%

Eggs

$2.86 €2.55

$2.17 ฿72.9

31.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.72 €11.35

$19.15 ฿642

-33.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.80 €7.85

$3.30 ฿111

166.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.61 €13.03

$11.14 ฿373

31.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.95 ฿98.8

-30.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.68 ฿56.3

-15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$2.30 ฿77.0

9.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$2.13 ฿71.5

38.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.92

$1.53 ฿51.2

-32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.36 ฿45.67

-37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.12 ฿37.54

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 €1.09

$0.55 ฿18.29

123.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.67 €5.95

$4.26 ฿143

56.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 €8.96

$18.19 ฿610

-44.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.74 ฿58.4

21.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.79 ฿93.6

-15.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.3

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿739

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 €3.13

$2.91 ฿97.6

20.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.01 ฿33.89

0.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.36 €23.52

$3.83 ฿128

588.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.49 ฿49.98

28.19%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$26.7K ฿894.0K

3.04%

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

$30.3K €27.1K

$26.7K ฿895.1K

13.57%

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

$302 €269

$99.4 ฿3,330

204.01%

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

$17.55 €15.66

$11.28 ฿378

55.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.22 €32.31

$17.36 ฿582

108.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,752

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿363

Cinema Ticket

$11.47 €10.23

$7.57 ฿254

51.52%

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

$440 €392

$558 ฿18.7K

-21.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K €10.5K

$11.5K ฿384.9K

2.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.9

$62.9 ฿2,107

70.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.14 €42.94

$28.58 ฿958

68.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €93.2

$96.1 ฿3,222

8.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$88.1 ฿2,951

33.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿41.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

5.57

-29.44%

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

Last update for Tapa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tapa

$356 31.4%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 64% $228

Eating Out

Tapa

$291 25.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 58.3% $170

Groceries & Markets

Tapa

$284 25.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 5.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Tapa

$170 15%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 27% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Tapa

$23 * 2%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 194% $44

Getting Around

Tapa

$8.6 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 352% $30

Accommodation & Living

Tapa

- * 0%

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $71.0 in Tapa vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Tapa

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

4 h ahead of Tapa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,500

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tapa Phuket 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tapa
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

Tapa vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tapa is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,699 in Tapa and $1,811 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.

Childcare runs $440 in Tapa versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Tapa – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,132 in Tapa versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tapa but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tapa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tapa is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tapa 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 Tapa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.