Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zabbar and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,820 in Zabbar, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Zabbar
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Zabbar Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Zabbar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,820

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,820 in Zabbar versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Zabbar $1,820
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,669 in Zabbar versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Zabbar $2,669
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,517 in Zabbar versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Zabbar $3,517
Phuket $3,154

Living in Zabbar is roughly 42% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zabbar is 34% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 €15.10

$4.47 ฿151

278.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.62 €34.46

$32.41 ฿1,093

19.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.71 €6.88

$8.81 ฿297

-12.49%

Cappuccino

$2.68 €2.39

$2.83 ฿95.4

-5.30%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.87 ฿29.40

163.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$0.49 ฿16.65

32.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.56 ฿86.3

-13.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.94

$3.68 ฿124

20.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.66 ฿55.9

-33.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 €0.51

$1.46 ฿49.29

-60.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.50 ฿50.5

-27.33%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.56

$2.09 ฿70.5

90.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.50 €4.91

$19.07 ฿643

-71.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 €3.96

$3.30 ฿111

34.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 €9.07

$10.91 ฿368

-6.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 €3.71

$2.93 ฿98.8

41.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.69 ฿57.0

66.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 €3.25

$2.25 ฿75.7

62.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €3.01

$2.08 ฿70.0

62.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.51 ฿51.0

52.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.38 ฿46.51

34.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.07 ฿35.95

112.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.52 ฿17.50

121.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.87

$4.20 ฿142

56.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.93 €7.08

$18.79 ฿634

-57.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.82 ฿61.4

-10.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.09

$2.84 ฿95.8

-17.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.45 ฿48.97

73.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.80 €14.99

$56.7 ฿1,911

-70.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.80 €4.28

$3.02 ฿102

58.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.02 ฿34.32

121.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.39 €23.54

$3.69 ฿124

615.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.47 ฿49.75

1.36%

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

$38.1K €34.0K

$26.8K ฿903.2K

42.42%

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

$38.2K €34.1K

$26.7K ฿900.3K

43.27%

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

$104 €93.0

$96.4 ฿3,250

8.14%

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

$24.98 €22.29

$11.26 ฿380

121.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.67 €38.96

$16.85 ฿568

159.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 €57.9

$67.2 ฿2,268

-3.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 €10.12

$10.73 ฿362

5.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 €9.12

$7.50 ฿253

36.27%

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

$373 €333

$476 ฿16.1K

-21.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,245 €2,003

$11.3K ฿379.9K

-80.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 €78.6

$62.4 ฿2,103

41.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.17 €36.73

$28.41 ฿958

44.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 €88.1

$94.3 ฿3,180

4.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 €69.8

$85.8 ฿2,894

-8.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 €1,023

$716 ฿24.1K

60.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 €822

$491 ฿16.6K

87.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 €1,602

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-6.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 €1,363

$1,431 ฿48.3K

6.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,048 €3,611

$4,175 ฿140.8K

-3.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,152 €3,705

$3,045 ฿102.7K

36.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,095 €977

$502 ฿16.9K

118.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

5.57

-47.94%

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

Last update for Zabbar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zabbar

$921 50.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 46.7% $430

Groceries & Markets

Zabbar

$238 13.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 12.1% $29

Eating Out

Zabbar

$222 12.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 45.3% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zabbar

$173 9.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 28% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Zabbar

$138 7.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 11.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Zabbar

$85 4.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 3.7% $3.2

Getting Around

Zabbar

$43 2.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 64.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,147 in Zabbar and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zabbar pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $39 in Zabbar vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $238 vs $266, with Zabbar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Zabbar

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:26 6:26 PM

00:26 12:26 AM

6 h ahead of Zabbar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,404

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Zabbar Phuket 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zabbar
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

Zabbar vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Zabbar is about 2.2 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: $1,147 in Zabbar versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $373 in Zabbar versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Zabbar pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,820 in Zabbar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Zabbar. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Zabbar 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, Zabbar on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.