Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zakynthos and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,703 in Zakynthos, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Zakynthos, Greece
Phuket, Thailand
Zakynthos
🇬🇷 Greece
$1,703
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,703 in Zakynthos versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Zakynthos $1,703
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,575 in Zakynthos versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Zakynthos $2,575
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,447 in Zakynthos versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Zakynthos $3,447
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Zakynthos is roughly 33% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zakynthos is 25% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zakynthos
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$28.49 €25.42
$4.47 ฿151
537.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$55.3 €49.34
$32.41 ฿1,093
70.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.11 €9.91
$8.81 ฿297
26.11%
Cappuccino
$4.52 €4.03
$2.83 ฿95.4
59.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.70 €5.08
$0.87 ฿29.40
555.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 €0.51
$0.49 ฿16.65
18.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.07 €4.52
$2.56 ฿86.3
98.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.55 €5.84
$3.68 ฿124
77.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zakynthos
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.38 €2.13
$1.66 ฿55.9
43.37%
White Bread (500g)
$1.98 €1.77
$1.46 ฿49.29
35.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.69 €2.40
$1.50 ฿50.5
79.33%
Eggs
$4.58 €4.09
$2.09 ฿70.5
119.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.71 €13.13
$19.07 ฿643
-22.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$15.19 €13.55
$3.30 ฿111
360.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.06 €10.76
$10.91 ฿368
10.54%
Apples (1kg)
$3.72 €3.32
$2.93 ฿98.8
26.96%
Banana (1kg)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.69 ฿57.0
23.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.35 €1.20
$2.25 ฿75.7
-40.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 €1.87
$2.08 ฿70.0
0.96%
Potato (1kg)
$1.13 €1.01
$1.51 ฿51.0
-25.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 €0.98
$1.38 ฿46.51
-20.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 €0.97
$1.07 ฿35.95
0.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.77
$0.52 ฿17.50
280.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.31 €4.74
$4.20 ฿142
26.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.20 €6.42
$18.79 ฿634
-61.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76 €1.57
$1.82 ฿61.4
-3.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 €2.36
$2.84 ฿95.8
-7.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Zakynthos
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.93 €1.72
$1.45 ฿48.97
33.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.55 €44.21
$56.7 ฿1,911
-12.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.25 €3.79
$3.02 ฿102
40.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 €0.97
$1.02 ฿34.32
6.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.49 €13.82
$3.69 ฿124
319.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 €1.77
$1.47 ฿49.75
35.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.6K €24.7K
$26.8K ฿903.2K
3.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K €23.6K
$26.7K ฿900.3K
-0.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zakynthos
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$205 €183
$96.4 ฿3,250
112.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.59 €37.11
$11.26 ฿380
269.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.65 €27.35
$16.85 ฿568
81.90%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zakynthos
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.7 €45.21
$67.2 ฿2,268
-24.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.86 €23.07
$10.73 ฿362
141.01%
Cinema Ticket
$9.86 €8.79
$7.50 ฿253
31.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zakynthos
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$406 €363
$476 ฿16.1K
-14.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,882 €7,925
$11.3K ฿379.9K
-21.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zakynthos
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$113 €101
$62.4 ฿2,103
81.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.22 €35.89
$28.41 ฿958
41.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$122 €109
$94.3 ฿3,180
29.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$141 €126
$85.8 ฿2,894
64.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zakynthos
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$392 €350
$716 ฿24.1K
-45.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$383 €342
$491 ฿16.6K
-21.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$768 €685
$1,927 ฿65.0K
-60.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$560 €500
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-60.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,434 €2,172
$4,175 ฿140.8K
-41.70%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,942 €1,732
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-36.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zakynthos
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,307 €1,166
$502 ฿16.9K
160.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.48
5.57
-19.57%

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

Last update for Zakynthos: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Zakynthos
$383
Phuket
$491 28% $107
Eating Out
Zakynthos
$379
Phuket
$122 67.9% $257
Groceries & Markets
Zakynthos
$338
Phuket
$266 21.3% $72
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zakynthos
$277
Phuket
$124 55.1% $153
Clothing & Footwear
Zakynthos
$188
Phuket
$122 35.1% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Zakynthos
$70
Phuket
$82 16.8% $12
Getting Around
Zakynthos
$67
Phuket
$71 5.4% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $392 in Zakynthos and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zakynthos pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55 in Zakynthos vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $338 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇷 Zakynthos
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
21:05 9:05 PM
02:05 2:05 AM
5 h ahead of Zakynthos
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
39,015
79,308
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Zakynthos Phuket 8,380 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Zakynthos
  • 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
Zakynthos vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Zakynthos?
Phuket is about 25% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Zakynthos or Phuket?
Average pay in Zakynthos is about 2.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Zakynthos and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $392 in Zakynthos versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $406 in Zakynthos versus $476 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 Zakynthos and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Zakynthos. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Zakynthos or in Phuket?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,703 in Zakynthos, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Zakynthos. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Zakynthos or in Phuket?
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.
Which city is safer, Zakynthos or Phuket?
Safety-wise, Zakynthos and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Phuket wins on affordability, Zakynthos on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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