Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,772 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,772

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,772 in Zagreb versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Zagreb $1,772
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,619 in Zagreb versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Zagreb $2,619
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,467 in Zagreb versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Zagreb $3,467
Phuket $3,154

Living in Zagreb is roughly 39% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zagreb is 30% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 €11.05

$4.47 ฿151

175.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 €57.3

$32.41 ฿1,094

97.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 €7.18

$8.81 ฿297

-9.08%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.24

$2.83 ฿95.4

-11.66%

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

$3.09 €2.77

$0.87 ฿29.42

255.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.35

$0.49 ฿16.66

434.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$2.56 ฿86.3

33.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.04

$3.68 ฿124

22.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.66 ฿56.0

-23.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.46 ฿49.32

9.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.50 ฿50.5

78.67%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.54

$2.09 ฿70.5

89.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 €13.07

$19.07 ฿643

-23.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 €10.28

$3.30 ฿111

247.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 €15.55

$10.91 ฿368

59.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.93 ฿98.9

-21.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.69 ฿57.0

-2.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.25 ฿75.8

-2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.08 ฿70.1

23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.51 ฿51.0

-9.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.38 ฿46.54

-13.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.07 ฿35.97

11.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$0.52 ฿17.51

148.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 €5.45

$4.20 ฿142

44.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 €9.92

$18.79 ฿634

-41.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.82 ฿61.5

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.84 ฿95.9

-13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 €0.51

$1.45 ฿49.00

-60.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 €47.71

$56.7 ฿1,912

-6.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 €1.95

$3.02 ฿102

-27.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.02 ฿34.34

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 €11.10

$3.69 ฿125

235.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.47 ฿49.78

29.25%

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

$27.9K €25.0K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

4.29%

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

$26.0K €23.3K

$26.7K ฿900.8K

-2.54%

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

$215 €193

$96.4 ฿3,252

123.08%

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

$22.34 €20.02

$11.26 ฿380

98.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.73 €34.70

$16.85 ฿569

129.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.65 €43.60

$67.2 ฿2,269

-27.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.95 €16.98

$10.73 ฿362

76.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 €9.32

$7.50 ฿253

38.80%

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

$499 €447

$476 ฿16.1K

4.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,720 €8,710

$11.3K ฿380.1K

-13.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.3

$62.4 ฿2,105

74.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.23 €37.84

$28.41 ฿959

48.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.7

$94.3 ฿3,182

8.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €99.0

$85.8 ฿2,896

28.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$888 €796

$716 ฿24.2K

24.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 €612

$491 ฿16.6K

39.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,316

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-23.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €956

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-25.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,275 €4,727

$4,175 ฿140.9K

26.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,670 €3,288

$3,045 ฿102.8K

20.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 €1,770

$502 ฿17.0K

293.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.57

-40.75%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$683 38.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 28.1% $192

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$314 17.7%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 15.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$276 15.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 54.9% $152

Eating Out

Zagreb

$202 11.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 39.6% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$164 9.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 25.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$69 3.9%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 18.4% $13

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 8.8% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $888 in Zagreb and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zagreb pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $64 in Zagreb vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

13:07 1:07 PM

6 h ahead of Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Zagreb Phuket 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zagreb
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

Zagreb vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Zagreb is about 3.9 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: $888 in Zagreb versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $499 in Zagreb versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Zagreb. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,772 in Zagreb, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Zagreb. 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 Zagreb, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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