Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arecibo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,281 in Arecibo, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. The total is higher in Arecibo despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Arecibo
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Arecibo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Arecibo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,281

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,281 in Arecibo versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Arecibo $1,281
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,005 in Arecibo versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Arecibo $2,005
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,730 in Arecibo versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Arecibo $2,730
Phuket $2,867

Living in Arecibo is roughly 6% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Arecibo 5% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 $12.13

$4.58 ฿153

164.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.2 $81.2

$32.48 ฿1,086

150.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 $8.55

$8.55 ฿286

Cappuccino

$3.42 $3.42

$2.72 ฿91.0

25.74%

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

$1.90 $1.90

$0.94 ฿31.25

102.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 $1.50

$0.49 ฿16.39

206.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.59 ฿86.6

17.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 $5.09

$3.83 ฿128

32.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 $1.79

$1.74 ฿58.1

2.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.36 $3.36

$1.43 ฿47.82

134.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.53 ฿51.0

26.80%

Eggs

$4.48 $4.48

$2.17 ฿72.7

106.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.78 $12.78

$19.15 ฿640

-33.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.48 $9.48

$3.30 ฿110

187.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.47 $13.47

$11.14 ฿372

20.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 $4.97

$2.95 ฿98.5

68.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$1.68 ฿56.1

54.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 $4.81

$2.30 ฿76.8

109.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.84 $4.84

$2.13 ฿71.3

127.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.53 ฿51.1

141.18%

Onion (1kg)

$3.99 $3.99

$1.36 ฿45.55

193.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.53 $3.53

$1.12 ฿37.44

215.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.55 ฿18.24

190.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$4.26 ฿142

181.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.87 $15.87

$18.19 ฿608

-12.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.74 ฿58.2

77.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 $4.06

$2.79 ฿93.3

45.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.63 $40.63

$22.06 ฿737

84.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.91 ฿97.3

-12.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.01 ฿33.79

44.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.96 $41.96

$3.83 ฿128

995.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.49 ฿49.85

-38.93%

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

$40.4K $40.4K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

51.35%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

5.39%

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

$324 $324

$99.4 ฿3,321

226.37%

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

$68.1 $68.1

$11.28 ฿377

503.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.1 $66.1

$17.36 ฿580

280.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 $10.59

$7.57 ฿253

39.89%

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

$833 $833

$558 ฿18.7K

49.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

9.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 $56.1

$62.9 ฿2,102

-10.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.5 $61.5

$28.58 ฿955

115.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$96.1 ฿3,213

13.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$88.1 ฿2,943

29.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,191 $1,191

$493 ฿16.5K

141.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.57

17.59%

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

Last update for Arecibo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arecibo

$459 35.8%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 72.1% $330

Groceries & Markets

Arecibo

$395 30.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 32.2% $127

Eating Out

Arecibo

$203 15.8%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 40.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Arecibo

$153 12%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19% $29

Getting Around

Arecibo

$50 * 3.9%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 23% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Arecibo

$21 * 1.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 219% $46

Accommodation & Living

Arecibo

- * 0%

Phuket

$460 38.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Arecibo pays 142% 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: $81.0 in Arecibo vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $395 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Arecibo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

05:09 5:09 AM

11 h ahead of Arecibo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,634

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Arecibo Phuket 16,660 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Arecibo
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

Arecibo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 142% higher in Arecibo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 48% higher in Arecibo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $81.0 in Arecibo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $1,281 in Arecibo, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Arecibo. 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 Arecibo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Arecibo 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 6% less than in Arecibo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.