Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tetovo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Tetovo: $997 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Tetovo
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Tetovo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Tetovo

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

$997

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $997 in Tetovo versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Tetovo $997
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,500 in Tetovo versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Tetovo $1,500
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,004 in Tetovo versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Tetovo $2,004
Phuket $3,154

Living in Tetovo costs roughly 22% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tetovo 27% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.37 MKD 405

$4.47 ฿151

64.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.68 MKD 1,523

$32.41 ฿1,094

-14.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.69 MKD 313

$8.81 ฿297

-35.41%

Cappuccino

$1.56 MKD 85.8

$2.83 ฿95.4

-44.88%

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

$1.51 MKD 82.9

$0.87 ฿29.42

73.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 MKD 50.4

$0.49 ฿16.66

87.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 MKD 117

$2.56 ฿86.3

-16.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 MKD 118

$3.68 ฿124

-41.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 MKD 69.9

$1.66 ฿56.0

-23.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 MKD 34.23

$1.46 ฿49.32

-57.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 MKD 72.0

$1.50 ฿50.5

-12.67%

Eggs

$2.08 MKD 115

$2.09 ฿70.5

-0.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 MKD 408

$19.07 ฿643

-61.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.10 MKD 280

$3.30 ฿111

54.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 MKD 567

$10.91 ฿368

-5.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 MKD 80.0

$2.93 ฿98.9

-50.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 MKD 79.4

$1.69 ฿57.0

-14.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 MKD 52.1

$2.25 ฿75.8

-57.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 MKD 103

$2.08 ฿70.1

-9.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 MKD 46.07

$1.51 ฿51.0

-44.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 MKD 38.22

$1.38 ฿46.54

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 MKD 32.31

$1.07 ฿35.97

-44.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MKD 29.25

$0.52 ฿17.51

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.01 MKD 166

$4.20 ฿142

-28.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.49 MKD 247

$18.79 ฿634

-76.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 MKD 57.9

$1.82 ฿61.5

-42.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 MKD 79.6

$2.84 ฿95.9

-48.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 MKD 19.05

$1.45 ฿49.00

-75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.88 MKD 598

$56.7 ฿1,912

-80.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 MKD 60.5

$3.02 ฿102

-63.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MKD 28.98

$1.02 ฿34.34

-48.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 MKD 405

$3.69 ฿125

99.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MKD 81.8

$1.47 ฿49.78

1.36%

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

$34.1K MKD 1.9M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

27.53%

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

$26.9K MKD 1.5M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

0.66%

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

$159 MKD 8,720

$96.4 ฿3,252

64.56%

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

$17.95 MKD 987

$11.26 ฿380

59.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.25 MKD 1,059

$16.85 ฿569

14.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.9 MKD 3,843

$67.2 ฿2,269

3.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.12 MKD 996

$10.73 ฿362

68.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.41 MKD 298

$7.50 ฿253

-27.87%

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

$222 MKD 12.2K

$476 ฿16.1K

-53.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,175 MKD 119.6K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-80.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.5 MKD 3,548

$62.4 ฿2,105

3.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.99 MKD 2,034

$28.41 ฿959

30.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 MKD 5,710

$94.3 ฿3,182

10.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 MKD 6,095

$85.8 ฿2,896

29.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 MKD 19.3K

$716 ฿24.2K

-51.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 MKD 15.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

-44.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 MKD 32.1K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-69.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 MKD 26.6K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-66.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,231 MKD 67.7K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-70.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,104 MKD 60.7K

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-63.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$861 MKD 47.3K

$502 ฿17.0K

71.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.75

5.57

-32.68%

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

Last update for Tetovo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tetovo

$273 27.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 79.7% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tetovo

$196 19.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 36.4% $71

Groceries & Markets

Tetovo

$170 17.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 56.5% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Tetovo

$142 14.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 14.3% $20

Eating Out

Tetovo

$119 12%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 1.9% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Tetovo

$81 8.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 1.9% $1.5

Getting Around

Tetovo

$16 1.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 341% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $351 in Tetovo and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tetovo pays 71% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $28 in Tetovo vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $266 per month, with Tetovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇰 Tetovo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

07:38 7:38 AM

6 h ahead of Tetovo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,000

79,308

💱 Currency

North Macedonian Denar MKD ден

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MKD = 1.82 USD

100 MKD = 1.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MKD – North Macedonian Denar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Denar (ден)

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tetovo Phuket 8,380 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tetovo
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

Tetovo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tetovo is about 22% cheaper overall, especially in groceries and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Tetovo, 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: $351 in Tetovo versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Tetovo versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Tetovo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Tetovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.