Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Azores and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,611 in the Azores, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Azores, Portugal
Phuket, Thailand
Azores
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,611
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,611 per month in the Azores vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Azores $1,611
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,369 per month in the Azores vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Azores $2,369
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,126 per month in the Azores vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Azores $3,126
  • Phuket $3,154

Azores costs about 26% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Azores sits 18% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Azores
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.71 €10.52
$4.47 ฿151
161.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.92 €42.15
$32.41 ฿1,094
44.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.52 €8.55
$8.81 ฿297
8.06%
Cappuccino
$2.16 €1.94
$2.83 ฿95.5
-23.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.93 €1.73
$0.87 ฿29.43
121.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 €1.28
$0.49 ฿16.67
191.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.25 €2.02
$2.56 ฿86.4
-12.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.52 €3.16
$3.68 ฿124
-4.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Azores
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.05 €0.94
$1.66 ฿56.0
-36.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 €1.38
$1.46 ฿49.35
4.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 €1.44
$1.50 ฿50.6
7.33%
Eggs
$2.98 €2.68
$2.09 ฿70.5
42.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.46 €10.29
$19.07 ฿644
-39.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.67 €6.89
$3.30 ฿111
132.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.24 €12.80
$10.91 ฿368
30.52%
Apples (1kg)
$2.28 €2.05
$2.93 ฿99.0
-22.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 €1.27
$1.69 ฿57.1
-16.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.79 €1.61
$2.25 ฿75.8
-20.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.53 €2.28
$2.08 ฿70.1
21.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.51 ฿51.0
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 €1.66
$1.38 ฿46.56
33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.55 €1.39
$1.07 ฿35.99
44.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.86 €0.77
$0.52 ฿17.52
65.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.19 €5.56
$4.20 ฿142
47.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.14 €4.61
$18.79 ฿634
-72.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.82 ฿61.5
-28.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 €2.07
$2.84 ฿95.9
-18.66%
🚌 Getting Around
Azores
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.29 €2.05
$1.45 ฿49.03
57.93%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.46 €38.14
$56.7 ฿1,913
-25.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.09 €3.67
$3.02 ฿102
35.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.86 €0.77
$1.02 ฿34.36
-15.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.57 €15.78
$3.69 ฿125
376.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 €1.78
$1.47 ฿49.81
35.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.4K €30.9K
$26.8K ฿904.3K
28.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.5K €35.5K
$26.7K ฿901.3K
48.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Azores
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$135 €121
$96.4 ฿3,254
39.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.13 €18.98
$11.26 ฿380
87.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.30 €37.10
$16.85 ฿569
145.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Azores
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.64 €40.10
$67.2 ฿2,270
-33.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.35 €15.58
$10.73 ฿362
61.70%
Cinema Ticket
$8.48 €7.62
$7.50 ฿253
13.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Azores
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$471 €423
$476 ฿16.1K
-0.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,351 €7,502
$11.3K ฿380.4K
-25.85%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Azores
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$73.9 €66.3
$62.4 ฿2,106
18.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.73 €34.79
$28.41 ฿959
36.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.6 €83.2
$94.3 ฿3,184
-1.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$92.2 €82.8
$85.8 ฿2,898
7.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Azores
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$944 €848
$716 ฿24.2K
31.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$734 €659
$491 ฿16.6K
49.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,457 €1,309
$1,927 ฿65.1K
-24.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,169 €1,050
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-18.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,049 €2,739
$4,175 ฿141.0K
-26.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,337 €2,100
$3,045 ฿102.8K
-23.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Azores
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$502 ฿17.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.01
5.57
-10.05%

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

Last update for the Azores: 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
Azores
$734
Phuket
$491 33.1% $243
Groceries & Markets
Azores
$245
Phuket
$266 8.5% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Azores
$197
Phuket
$124 36.8% $73
Eating Out
Azores
$180
Phuket
$122 32.3% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Azores
$134
Phuket
$122 8.9% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Azores
$62
Phuket
$82 33.5% $21
Getting Around
Azores
$60
Phuket
$71 17.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $944 in the Azores versus $716 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in the Azores versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $245 in the Azores vs $266 in Phuket – so Azores wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Azores
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
19:32 7:32 PM
03:32 3:32 AM
8 h ahead of the Azores
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
236,657
79,308
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Azores Phuket 12,320 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Azores
  • 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
Azores vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than the Azores?
Yes – Azores is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,417 per month in the Azores and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $944 in the Azores.
How do food prices compare in the Azores and in Phuket?
Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in the Azores – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Is eating out cheaper in the Azores or in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in the Azores and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in the Azores or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in the Azores at $1,611. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in the Azores it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in the Azores or in Phuket?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,611 in the Azores. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Azores vs other spots: cost of living compared

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