Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zebbug and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,976 in Zebbug, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Zebbug, Malta
Phuket, Thailand
Zebbug
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,976
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,976 in Zebbug versus $1,278 in Phuket.

  • Zebbug $1,976
  • Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,113 in Zebbug versus $2,216 in Phuket.

  • Zebbug $3,113
  • Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,251 in Zebbug versus $3,154 in Phuket.

  • Zebbug $4,251
  • Phuket $3,154

Living in Zebbug is roughly 55% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zebbug is 45% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zebbug
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.75 €17.62
$4.47 ฿151
341.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.0 €70.5
$32.41 ฿1,093
143.78%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.42 €6.62
$8.81 ฿297
-15.78%
Cappuccino
$3.23 €2.89
$2.83 ฿95.4
14.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 €1.95
$0.87 ฿29.40
150.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 €1.01
$0.49 ฿16.65
132.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.59 €4.10
$2.56 ฿86.3
79.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.85 €4.33
$3.68 ฿124
31.79%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zebbug
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.66 ฿55.9
-17.47%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 €1.30
$1.46 ฿49.29
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.47 €3.09
$1.50 ฿50.5
131.33%
Eggs
$4.25 €3.79
$2.09 ฿70.5
103.35%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.44 €9.32
$19.07 ฿643
-45.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.17 €10.86
$3.30 ฿111
268.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.95 €16.02
$10.91 ฿368
64.53%
Apples (1kg)
$3.81 €3.40
$2.93 ฿98.8
30.03%
Banana (1kg)
$2.72 €2.43
$1.69 ฿57.0
60.95%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.90 €3.48
$2.25 ฿75.7
73.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.83 €3.42
$2.08 ฿70.0
84.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.84 €1.64
$1.51 ฿51.0
21.85%
Onion (1kg)
$3.41 €3.04
$1.38 ฿46.51
147.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.31 €2.06
$1.07 ฿35.95
115.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 €1.39
$0.52 ฿17.50
200.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.36 €5.68
$4.20 ฿142
51.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.84 €5.21
$18.79 ฿634
-68.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.39 €2.13
$1.82 ฿61.4
31.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 €2.12
$2.84 ฿95.8
-16.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Zebbug
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.45 ฿48.97
51.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,911
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.80 €3.39
$3.02 ฿102
25.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.78 €1.58
$1.02 ฿34.32
74.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$32.46 €28.96
$3.69 ฿124
779.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 €1.38
$1.47 ฿49.75
4.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.2K €25.1K
$26.8K ฿903.2K
5.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.5K €35.3K
$26.7K ฿900.3K
48.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zebbug
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$155 €138
$96.4 ฿3,250
60.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.52 €28.12
$11.26 ฿380
179.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.99 €25.86
$16.85 ฿568
72.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zebbug
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$63.6 €56.7
$67.2 ฿2,268
-5.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$11.47 €10.23
$7.50 ฿253
52.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zebbug
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$274 €244
$476 ฿16.1K
-42.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K €10.9K
$11.3K ฿379.9K
8.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zebbug
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.4 €51.2
$62.4 ฿2,103
-7.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$69.1 €61.7
$28.41 ฿958
143.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 €101
$94.3 ฿3,180
20.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$129 €115
$85.8 ฿2,894
50.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zebbug
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,153 €1,029
$716 ฿24.1K
61.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$877 €783
$491 ฿16.6K
78.74%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 €1,797
$1,927 ฿65.0K
4.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,663 €1,483
$1,431 ฿48.3K
16.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,052 €3,615
$4,175 ฿140.8K
-2.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,847 €2,540
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-6.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zebbug
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$502 ฿16.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.05
5.57
-27.29%

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

Last update for Zebbug: 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
Zebbug
$877
Phuket
$491 44.1% $387
Groceries & Markets
Zebbug
$344
Phuket
$266 22.6% $78
Eating Out
Zebbug
$265
Phuket
$122 54.1% $143
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zebbug
$215
Phuket
$124 42.2% $91
Clothing & Footwear
Zebbug
$166
Phuket
$122 26.6% $44
Sport & Entertainment
Zebbug
$87
Phuket
$82 5% $4.3
Getting Around
Zebbug
$21 *
Phuket
$71 229% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,153 in Zebbug and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $79 in Zebbug vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $344 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇹 Zebbug
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
17:42 5:42 PM
23:42 11:42 PM
6 h ahead of Zebbug
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,770
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
  • Zebbug Phuket 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Zebbug
  • 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
Zebbug vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Zebbug?
Phuket is about 35% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $2,964 in Zebbug and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Zebbug and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,153 in Zebbug 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 $274 in Zebbug versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Zebbug or in Phuket?
Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $79 in Zebbug. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Zebbug or in Phuket?
At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,976 in Zebbug, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Zebbug. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Zebbug 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, Zebbug or Phuket?
Safety-wise, Zebbug and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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