Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vac and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Vac and in Phuket: $1,313 and $1,294 a month, rent and utilities included.

63

Cost of Living Index in Vac
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Vac Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Vac

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,313

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,313 in Vac versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Vac $1,313
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,227 in Vac versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Vac $2,227
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,141 in Vac versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Vac $3,141
Phuket $3,115

Monthly costs are close between Vac and Phuket; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Vac 3% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.27 Ft 6,271

$4.39 ฿148

338.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 Ft 36.4K

$32.31 ฿1,089

246.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 Ft 3,076

$8.70 ฿293

8.62%

Cappuccino

$2.50 Ft 814

$2.72 ฿91.8

-8.09%

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

$1.51 Ft 493

$0.93 ฿31.35

62.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 417

$0.50 ฿16.83

156.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 Ft 767

$2.53 ฿85.3

-6.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 Ft 762

$3.63 ฿122

-35.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 Ft 425

$1.74 ฿58.6

-24.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 Ft 472

$1.45 ฿48.89

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 767

$1.50 ฿50.6

57.33%

Eggs

$3.27 Ft 1,065

$2.17 ฿73.2

50.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 Ft 2,771

$19.09 ฿643

-55.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.01 Ft 1,955

$3.40 ฿115

76.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.52 Ft 5,374

$10.90 ฿367

51.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 Ft 613

$2.94 ฿99.1

-36.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 Ft 674

$1.69 ฿57.0

22.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 Ft 677

$2.19 ฿73.9

-5.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.35 Ft 765

$2.12 ฿71.6

10.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 Ft 542

$1.46 ฿49.15

14.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 Ft 355

$1.37 ฿46.10

-20.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 Ft 454

$1.08 ฿36.26

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 Ft 160

$0.55 ฿18.38

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.79 Ft 2,534

$4.43 ฿149

75.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.98 Ft 1,621

$18.25 ฿615

-72.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 Ft 288

$1.77 ฿59.7

-50.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 Ft 692

$2.88 ฿97.1

-26.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 Ft 371

$1.45 ฿48.78

-21.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.58 Ft 9,299

$54.9 ฿1,850

-47.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 Ft 896

$1.51 ฿51.0

82.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 Ft 551

$0.78 ฿26.14

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.20 Ft 6,247

$3.84 ฿129

400.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 Ft 603

$1.49 ฿50.1

24.16%

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

$25.7K Ft 8.4M

$26.9K ฿905.9K

-4.27%

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

$38.6K Ft 12.6M

$26.3K ฿887.8K

46.49%

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

$150 Ft 48.9K

$97.8 ฿3,296

53.58%

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

$23.67 Ft 7,701

$11.29 ฿381

109.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.25 Ft 6,913

$17.19 ฿579

23.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.28 Ft 15.7K

$68.3 ฿2,303

-29.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 Ft 5,856

$10.92 ฿368

64.84%

Cinema Ticket

$8.37 Ft 2,722

$7.43 ฿250

12.65%

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

$248 Ft 80.7K

$530 ฿17.9K

-53.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,786 Ft 2.5M

$18.8K ฿632.9K

-58.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 Ft 29.4K

$61.7 ฿2,078

46.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 Ft 10.3K

$28.25 ฿952

12.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 Ft 27.5K

$96.0 ฿3,235

-11.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 Ft 33.9K

$86.8 ฿2,926

20.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 Ft 164.6K

$721 ฿24.3K

-29.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 Ft 128.1K

$509 ฿17.1K

-22.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 Ft 266.0K

$1,950 ฿65.7K

-58.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$754 Ft 245.3K

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-46.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,252 Ft 1.1M

$4,192 ฿141.3K

-22.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,506 Ft 815.5K

$3,298 ฿111.2K

-24.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,401 Ft 455.7K

$492 ฿16.6K

184.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Vac: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vac

$394 30%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 29.3% $115

Eating Out

Vac

$240 18.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 50.2% $121

Groceries & Markets

Vac

$234 17.9%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 13.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vac

$195 14.9%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 35.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Vac

$140 10.7%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 12.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Vac

$65 5%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 27.9% $18

Getting Around

Vac

$44 3.4%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 48.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Vac and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vac pays about 2.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $112 in Vac vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $267, with Vac cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Vac

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

6 h ahead of Vac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,001

79,308

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vac Phuket 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Vac
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

Vac vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay in Vac is about 2.8 times higher, 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: $506 in Vac versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $248 in Vac versus $530 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 versus $112 in Vac. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Phuket gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Vac and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Vac on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.