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: $1,857 in Alicante versus $1,253 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,904 in Alicante versus $2,043 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,951 in Alicante versus $2,833 in Phuket.

Living in Alicante is roughly 48% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alicante is 35% above, Phuket is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 €14.93

$4.56 ฿151

279.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 €60.1

$32.62 ฿1,082

113.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.53 €9.95

$8.90 ฿295

29.55%

Cappuccino

$2.28 €1.96

$2.80 ฿93.0

-18.57%

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

$2.21 €1.91

$0.88 ฿29.19

151.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.26

$0.49 ฿16.23

197.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 €3.09

$2.39 ฿79.2

49.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.06

$3.71 ฿123

-4.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €0.99

$1.79 ฿59.3

-35.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.46

$1.44 ฿47.81

17.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 €1.52

$1.58 ฿52.6

11.39%

Eggs

$3.28 €2.83

$2.13 ฿70.5

53.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.15 €15.66

$19.92 ฿661

-8.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 €8.77

$3.43 ฿114

196.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.85 €14.54

$11.33 ฿376

48.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.39

$2.95 ฿97.8

-6.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.81

$1.72 ฿57.1

21.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.63

$2.32 ฿77.1

-18.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.37

$2.08 ฿69.0

32.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.66

$1.47 ฿48.77

30.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.81

$1.36 ฿45.05

54.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.10

$1.10 ฿36.45

15.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.64

$0.57 ฿19.06

29.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.90 €5.96

$4.27 ฿142

61.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.97 €5.15

$18.42 ฿611

-67.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.07

$1.87 ฿62.1

-33.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.88

$2.92 ฿96.9

-25.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 €1.49

$2.22 ฿73.6

-22.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.81 €24.00

$22.90 ฿759

21.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 €2.83

$3.03 ฿101

8.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.17

$1.07 ฿35.63

27.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.16 €14.81

$3.93 ฿130

336.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.47

$1.49 ฿49.49

14.77%

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

$36.3K €31.3K

$27.1K ฿899.8K

33.63%

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

$30.6K €26.4K

$27.5K ฿910.6K

11.48%

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

$143 €124

$103 ฿3,410

39.57%

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

$19.22 €16.59

$10.99 ฿365

74.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.27 €26.98

$17.51 ฿581

78.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.46 €36.64

$53.5 ฿1,776

-20.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.25 €14.89

$11.20 ฿371

54.02%

Cinema Ticket

$9.83 €8.48

$7.48 ฿248

31.42%

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

$731 €631

$557 ฿18.5K

31.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,576 €8,263

$11.9K ฿393.2K

-19.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 €74.5

$64.1 ฿2,125

34.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.19 €31.23

$29.07 ฿964

24.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 €85.6

$96.0 ฿3,183

3.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 €94.3

$90.3 ฿2,997

20.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 €898

$730 ฿24.2K

42.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 €732

$500 ฿16.6K

69.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,737 €1,499

$2,090 ฿69.3K

-16.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,393

$1,209 ฿40.1K

33.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,390 €3,788

$3,596 ฿119.3K

22.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,096 €1,809

$2,512 ฿83.3K

-16.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,940 €1,674

$503 ฿16.7K

285.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

5.57

-46.32%

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

Last update for Alicante: August 29, 2026

Last update for Phuket: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,040 in Alicante and $730 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 285% 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: $70.0 in Alicante vs $33.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $273 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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 48% 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 285% 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: $1,040 in Alicante versus $730 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $731 in Alicante versus $557 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Alicante. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,253 in Phuket versus $1,857 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 $1,253 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 48% less than in Alicante. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.