Cost of Living Comparison Between Tepelene and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Tepelene and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,199 in Tepelene versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,833 in Tepelene versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,467 in Tepelene versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Tepelene costs roughly 5% less than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tepelene 10% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.64 ALL 952

$4.70 ฿153

147.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.8 ALL 4,732

$45.37 ฿1,482

27.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 ALL 788

$8.43 ฿275

14.23%

Cappuccino

$2.07 ALL 169

$2.93 ฿95.6

-29.35%

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

$1.89 ALL 154

$0.69 ฿22.40

173.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 ALL 79.8

$0.37 ฿11.99

164.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.90 ALL 238

$2.41 ฿78.6

20.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 ALL 330

$3.72 ฿122

8.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ALL 167

$2.23 ฿72.9

-8.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 ALL 93.1

$1.83 ฿59.8

-37.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ALL 183

$2.17 ฿70.8

2.76%

Eggs

$3.83 ALL 313

$2.21 ฿72.3

73.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.04 ALL 1,067

$19.74 ฿645

-33.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.55 ALL 618

$3.63 ฿119

107.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.39 ALL 1,259

$13.53 ฿442

13.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.72 ALL 141

$3.28 ฿107

-47.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.76 ALL 226

$1.61 ฿52.6

71.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 ALL 160

$2.41 ฿78.6

-18.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ALL 163

$2.08 ฿68.1

-4.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 ALL 112

$1.53 ฿49.93

-10.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ALL 109

$1.48 ฿48.36

-9.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 ALL 123

$0.99 ฿32.29

52.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ALL 61.3

$0.51 ฿16.67

47.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.36 ALL 357

$4.41 ฿144

-1.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.12 ALL 910

$19.38 ฿633

-42.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ALL 130

$1.78 ฿58.1

-11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ALL 178

$2.71 ฿88.6

-19.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.45 ALL 36.53

$1.37 ฿44.79

-67.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.09 ALL 1,561

$11.39 ฿372

67.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ALL 288

$3.02 ฿98.6

16.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 ALL 251

$0.99 ฿32.48

210.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.96 ALL 1,470

$14.10 ฿461

27.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ALL 171

$1.36 ฿44.51

53.68%

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

$40.4K ALL 3.3M

$28.2K ฿921.1K

43.42%

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

$35.6K ALL 2.9M

$32.9K ฿1.1M

8.17%

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

$107 ALL 8,729

$122 ฿3,975

-12.33%

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

$17.56 ALL 1,436

$13.57 ฿443

29.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.64 ALL 1,525

$18.31 ฿598

1.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.7 ALL 4,476

$60.2 ฿1,967

-9.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.13 ALL 2,056

$17.14 ฿560

46.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.69 ALL 792

$8.69 ฿284

11.51%

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

$162 ALL 13.2K

$693 ฿22.6K

-76.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,572 ALL 455.9K

$15.7K ฿512.3K

-64.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 ALL 4,994

$59.5 ฿1,944

2.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 ALL 4,058

$34.77 ฿1,136

42.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 ALL 8,927

$115 ฿3,743

-4.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ALL 10.6K

$83.3 ฿2,720

55.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 ALL 36.9K

$613 ฿20.0K

-26.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 ALL 28.0K

$437 ฿14.3K

-21.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 ALL 49.3K

$2,094 ฿68.4K

-71.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$439 ALL 35.9K

$1,509 ฿49.3K

-70.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,955 ALL 160.0K

$3,749 ฿122.5K

-47.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,340 ALL 109.6K

$2,616 ฿85.4K

-48.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 ALL 54.3K

$508 ฿16.6K

30.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.52

5.33

3.56%

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

Last update for Tepelene: May 31, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $450 in Tepelene and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tepelene pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $58.0 in Tepelene vs $45.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $278 vs $293, with Tepelene cheaper for home cooking.

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

Tepelene vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tepelene is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Sport & Entertainment. The 5% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Tepelene pays 31% more on average, 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: $450 in Tepelene versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $162 in Tepelene versus $693 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,199 in Tepelene versus $1,265 in Phuket, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Tepelene but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Tepelene the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Tepelene 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, Tepelene 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 Tepelene gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.