Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tuam and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,580 in Tuam, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Tuam
Learn more

Tuam Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Tuam

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,580

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,580 in Tuam versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Tuam $2,580
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,675 in Tuam versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Tuam $3,675
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,770 in Tuam versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Tuam $4,770
Phuket $2,845

Living in Tuam is roughly 114% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tuam is 90% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.76 €17.57

$4.40 ฿147

349.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.5 €54.7

$32.26 ฿1,078

90.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.32 €12.74

$8.76 ฿293

63.47%

Cappuccino

$4.47 €3.98

$2.83 ฿94.5

57.95%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$0.90 ฿30.14

224.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.47 ฿15.56

293.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.03 €6.25

$2.55 ฿85.2

175.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.86

$3.83 ฿128

72.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.73 ฿57.7

-8.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.47 ฿49.11

55.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.51 ฿50.6

27.15%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.93

$2.17 ฿72.7

103.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 €9.14

$19.70 ฿658

-47.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.75 €11.34

$3.34 ฿112

281.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.27 €11.81

$11.16 ฿373

18.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.71

$2.85 ฿95.1

7.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.70 ฿56.9

34.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.19 ฿73.3

41.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 €4.30

$2.05 ฿68.4

136.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.45 ฿48.57

35.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.38 ฿46.16

6.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.07 ฿35.69

28.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$0.51 ฿16.91

305.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.29 €18.05

$4.26 ฿142

376.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.56 €12.06

$18.58 ฿621

-27.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.47 €3.09

$1.78 ฿59.7

94.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.08

$2.85 ฿95.2

21.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.26 ฿75.6

13.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.53

$3.01 ฿101

69.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.06 ฿35.34

46.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.68

$3.86 ฿129

764.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.45 ฿48.45

39.31%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

47.97%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

41.42%

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

$244 €217

$96.4 ฿3,221

153.28%

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

$21.40 €19.04

$11.04 ฿369

93.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 €44.72

$17.14 ฿573

193.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 €52.4

$52.2 ฿1,744

12.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$13.18 €11.72

$7.81 ฿261

68.76%

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

$1,009 €897

$556 ฿18.6K

81.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,119 €4,553

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-55.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.7 €85.1

$64.2 ฿2,146

49.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.02 €37.38

$28.69 ฿959

46.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €95.7

$95.4 ฿3,187

12.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €101

$88.0 ฿2,940

29.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 €1,431

$737 ฿24.6K

118.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,172

$462 ฿15.5K

184.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,291

$2,095 ฿70.0K

22.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 €1,860

$1,201 ฿40.1K

74.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,293 €2,929

$2,523 ฿84.3K

30.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

5.57

-25.67%

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

Last update for Tuam: 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

Tuam

$1.3K 51.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64.9% $855

Groceries & Markets

Tuam

$355 13.7%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 24.2% $86

Eating Out

Tuam

$322 12.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 62.4% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tuam

$316 12.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 60.6% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Tuam

$161 6.3%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 23% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Tuam

$85 3.3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 20.5% $17

Getting Around

Tuam

$23 * 0.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 70.6% $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 $1,609 in Tuam and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $61.0 in Tuam vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Tuam

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

15:06 3:06 PM

6 h ahead of Tuam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,647

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tuam Phuket 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Tuam
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

Tuam vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 114% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $3,870 in Tuam and $1,813 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: $1,609 in Tuam versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,009 in Tuam 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 $61.0 in Tuam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,580 in Tuam, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Tuam. 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 Tuam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Tuam 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 114% less than in Tuam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.