Cost of Living Comparison Between Umag and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Umag and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,483 in Umag versus $1,232 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,295 in Umag versus $2,255 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,108 in Umag versus $3,279 in Phuket.

Living in Umag is roughly 20% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Umag is 11% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Currency
ðŸ― Eating Out
Umag
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.50 ₮9.82
$4.63 āļŋ151
148.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.1 ₮58.2
$46.84 āļŋ1,523
45.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.00 ₮7.69
$8.84 āļŋ287
1.81%
Cappuccino
$2.37 ₮2.03
$3.00 āļŋ97.4
-21.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.17 ₮2.71
$0.74 āļŋ24.11
328.38%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35 ₮2.00
$0.37 āļŋ11.88
535.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.60 ₮3.08
$2.44 āļŋ79.3
47.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.65 ₮3.97
$3.61 āļŋ117
28.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Umag
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.29 ₮1.11
$2.26 āļŋ73.5
-42.92%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 ₮1.62
$1.84 āļŋ59.8
3.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.67 ₮2.28
$2.24 āļŋ73.0
19.20%
Eggs
$3.79 ₮3.24
$2.32 āļŋ75.3
63.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.87 ₮9.28
$19.67 āļŋ639
-44.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.65 ₮8.24
$3.65 āļŋ119
164.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.86 ₮10.98
$13.10 āļŋ426
-1.83%
Apples (1kg)
$1.85 ₮1.58
$3.39 āļŋ110
-45.43%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 ₮1.48
$1.64 āļŋ53.4
5.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.05 ₮1.75
$2.41 āļŋ78.5
-14.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.06 ₮2.62
$2.03 āļŋ66.0
50.74%
Potato (1kg)
$1.42 ₮1.21
$1.56 āļŋ50.6
-8.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.45 ₮1.24
$1.50 āļŋ48.66
-3.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.33 ₮1.13
$1.02 āļŋ33.30
30.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 ₮1.12
$0.49 āļŋ15.91
169.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.62 ₮4.80
$4.45 āļŋ145
26.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.45 ₮7.22
$18.88 āļŋ614
-55.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 ₮1.59
$1.78 āļŋ57.7
4.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 ₮1.97
$2.75 āļŋ89.5
-16.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Umag
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.72 ₮1.47
$1.40 āļŋ45.54
22.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.23 ₮36.92
$11.48 āļŋ373
276.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.37 ₮2.03
$3.12 āļŋ101
-24.04%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 ₮0.90
$1.00 āļŋ32.48
5.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.18 ₮8.69
$14.09 āļŋ458
-27.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 ₮1.54
$1.35 āļŋ43.93
33.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.1K ₮29.1K
$27.2K āļŋ883.7K
25.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ₮22.6K
$32.9K āļŋ1.1M
-19.62%
ðŸ§ū Monthly Utilities & Internet
Umag
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$207 ₮177
$125 āļŋ4,063
65.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.20 ₮17.25
$13.57 āļŋ441
48.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.86 ₮27.20
$18.52 āļŋ602
72.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Umag
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.7 ₮44.17
$61.5 āļŋ1,999
-15.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.81 ₮12.65
$16.84 āļŋ547
-12.05%
Cinema Ticket
$8.52 ₮7.27
$9.19 āļŋ299
-7.29%
ðŸ§ļ Childcare & Education
Umag
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$242 ₮207
$698 āļŋ22.7K
-65.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$13.1K ₮11.2K
$15.6K āļŋ506.9K
-16.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Umag
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$101 ₮86.6
$57.8 āļŋ1,878
75.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.08 ₮34.23
$35.24 āļŋ1,146
13.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.8 ₮81.8
$113 āļŋ3,677
-15.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 ₮99.5
$86.4 āļŋ2,808
34.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Umag
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$666 ₮569
$616 āļŋ20.0K
8.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$468 ₮399
$446 āļŋ14.5K
4.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,048 ₮895
$2,048 āļŋ66.6K
-48.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$768 ₮656
$1,492 āļŋ48.5K
-48.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,360 ₮3,724
$3,779 āļŋ122.8K
15.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,239 ₮2,766
$2,649 āļŋ86.1K
22.27%
ðŸ’ĩ Salaries & Financials
Umag
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$524 āļŋ17.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.72
5.33
-30.21%

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

Last update for Umag: April 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $666 in Umag and $616 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Umag vs $47.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $279 vs $292, with Umag 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
Umag vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Umag?
Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 20% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $2,224 in Umag and $1,847 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.
What is the rent difference between Umag and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $666 in Umag versus $616 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $242 in Umag versus $698 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Umag and Phuket?
Shoppers in Umag pay roughly 5% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for Umag or Phuket?
At $1,232 in Phuket versus $1,483 in Umag, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Umag. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Umag or Phuket more family-friendly?
For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Umag, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Umag or Phuket?
Safety-wise, Umag 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Umag. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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