Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zadar and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,687 in Zadar, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Zadar
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Zadar Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Zadar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,687

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,687 in Zadar versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Zadar $1,687
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,572 in Zadar versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Zadar $2,572
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,457 in Zadar versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Zadar $3,457
Phuket $2,867

Living in Zadar is roughly 40% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zadar is 25% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.55 €12.95

$4.58 ฿153

217.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.3 €69.7

$32.48 ฿1,086

141.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 €6.83

$8.55 ฿286

-10.29%

Cappuccino

$2.40 €2.13

$2.72 ฿91.0

-11.76%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$0.94 ฿31.25

214.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.49 ฿16.39

346.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.92

$2.59 ฿86.6

27.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 €4.04

$3.83 ฿128

18.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.74 ฿58.1

-32.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.43 ฿47.82

13.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.14 €2.79

$1.53 ฿51.0

105.23%

Eggs

$3.77 €3.35

$2.17 ฿72.7

73.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.80 €9.61

$19.15 ฿640

-43.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 €8.43

$3.30 ฿110

186.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.03 €10.71

$11.14 ฿372

7.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.95 ฿98.5

-32.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.68 ฿56.1

-9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.30 ฿76.8

-6.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.31

$2.13 ฿71.3

22.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.53 ฿51.1

44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.36 ฿45.55

-2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$1.12 ฿37.44

17.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.55 ฿18.24

127.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.59 €4.98

$4.26 ฿142

31.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.83 €6.97

$18.19 ฿608

-56.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.74 ฿58.2

-22.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.25

$2.79 ฿93.3

-49.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.22 ฿74.1

-21.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.69 €38.86

$22.06 ฿737

98.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.91 ฿97.3

17.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.01 ฿33.79

119.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.05 €19.61

$3.83 ฿128

475.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.49 ฿49.85

19.46%

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

$26.3K €23.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-1.58%

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

$25.1K €22.3K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-6.06%

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

$182 €162

$99.4 ฿3,321

83.41%

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

$22.01 €19.58

$11.28 ฿377

95.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.17 €35.73

$17.36 ฿580

131.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.92

$52.3 ฿1,747

7.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.02 €15.14

$10.85 ฿362

56.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 €9.41

$7.57 ฿253

39.76%

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

$240 €214

$558 ฿18.7K

-56.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,907 €6,144

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-39.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.6

$62.9 ฿2,102

40.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.68 €31.74

$28.58 ฿955

24.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.7

$96.1 ฿3,213

8.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.5 €69.0

$88.1 ฿2,943

-11.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$904 €804

$729 ฿24.4K

23.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$681 €606

$460 ฿15.4K

48.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,460 €1,299

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-30.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 €1,009

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-7.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,481 €3,985

$3,459 ฿115.6K

29.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,044 €3,597

$2,489 ฿83.2K

62.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,360 €1,210

$493 ฿16.5K

175.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

5.57

-36.45%

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

Last update for Zadar: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zadar

$681 40.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 32.5% $222

Groceries & Markets

Zadar

$267 15.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 0.2% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zadar

$244 14.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 47.6% $116

Eating Out

Zadar

$214 12.7%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 43.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Zadar

$138 8.2%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 9.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Zadar

$77 4.6%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 12.7% $9.8

Getting Around

Zadar

$65 3.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 40.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $904 in Zadar and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zadar pays 176% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $78.0 in Zadar vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $267 vs $268, with Zadar cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zadar

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:40 5:40 PM

22:40 10:40 PM

5 h ahead of Zadar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,309

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

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Between locations

Zadar Phuket 8,850 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zadar
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

Zadar vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 40% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 176% higher in Zadar, 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: $904 in Zadar versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $240 in Zadar versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Zadar pay roughly 0% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,687 in Zadar, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Zadar. 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 Zadar, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Zadar 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 40% less than in Zadar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.