Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,713 in Alicante versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,449 in Alicante versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,185 in Alicante versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Alicante is roughly 37% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alicante is 28% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.38 €15.18

$4.55 ฿153

281.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.8 €51.4

$46.18 ฿1,550

27.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.33 €9.03

$8.84 ฿297

16.86%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.89

$3.06 ฿103

-29.41%

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

$2.40 €2.10

$0.73 ฿24.36

228.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.35

$0.40 ฿13.37

285.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 €2.46

$2.43 ฿81.6

15.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.01

$3.78 ฿127

-8.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.12

$2.26 ฿75.8

-43.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 €1.58

$1.81 ฿60.8

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.36

$2.25 ฿75.7

-31.11%

Eggs

$2.87 €2.51

$2.25 ฿75.4

27.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 €10.11

$19.51 ฿655

-40.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.13 €7.98

$3.65 ฿122

150.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 €12.53

$13.05 ฿438

9.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 €2.14

$3.23 ฿109

-24.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.73

$1.62 ฿54.3

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 €1.20

$2.38 ฿80.0

-42.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.00

$2.03 ฿68.0

12.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 €1.48

$1.53 ฿51.5

10.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.42

$1.50 ฿50.4

8.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.95

$0.98 ฿32.85

11.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.58

$0.52 ฿17.36

26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.96 €5.21

$4.44 ฿149

34.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.61 €4.03

$18.32 ฿615

-74.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.04

$1.86 ฿62.6

-36.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.60

$2.68 ฿90.0

-31.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.43

$1.41 ฿47.37

16.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.11 €21.94

$11.70 ฿393

114.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 €1.48

$3.11 ฿104

-45.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 €1.12

$1.04 ฿35.00

23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.51 €15.30

$14.11 ฿474

24.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.51

$1.31 ฿44.02

32.06%

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

$39.3K €34.3K

$27.8K ฿933.8K

41.24%

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

$29.7K €26.0K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

-10.52%

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

$126 €110

$122 ฿4,110

2.55%

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

$20.50 €17.91

$13.59 ฿456

50.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 €27.56

$18.70 ฿628

68.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 €48.31

$60.5 ฿2,031

-8.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.15 €14.99

$16.98 ฿570

1.00%

Cinema Ticket

$9.70 €8.47

$9.07 ฿305

6.95%

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

$710 €620

$706 ฿23.7K

0.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,323

$15.8K ฿530.5K

-32.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.5 €60.7

$58.6 ฿1,965

18.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.04 €27.12

$35.36 ฿1,187

-12.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 €85.0

$115 ฿3,876

-15.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €94.3

$83.7 ฿2,811

28.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$968 €845

$626 ฿21.0K

54.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 €675

$445 ฿14.9K

73.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,479 €1,292

$2,040 ฿68.5K

-27.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 €884

$1,492 ฿50.1K

-32.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,255 €3,718

$3,483 ฿116.9K

22.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,141 €1,871

$2,577 ฿86.5K

-16.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,943 €1,698

$500 ฿16.8K

288.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.58

5.33

-32.83%

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

Last update for Alicante: July 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $968 in Alicante and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 289% 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: $59.0 in Alicante vs $46.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $252 vs $289, with Alicante cheaper for home cooking.

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

Alicante vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Alicante. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 289% higher in Alicante, 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: $968 in Alicante versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $710 in Alicante versus $706 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Alicante pay roughly 15% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $1,713 in Alicante, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Alicante. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,250 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alicante 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 37% less than in Alicante. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.