Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belize City and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Belize City: $1,236 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Belize City
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Belize City Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Belize City

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,236

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,236 in Belize City versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Belize City $1,236
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,798 in Belize City versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Belize City $1,798
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,360 in Belize City versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Belize City $2,360
Phuket $3,154

Living in Belize City costs roughly 3% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Belize City 9% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.40 BZD 12.81

$4.47 ฿151

43.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.73 BZD 99.5

$32.41 ฿1,093

53.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.65 BZD 19.30

$8.81 ฿297

9.53%

Cappuccino

$3.59 BZD 7.17

$2.83 ฿95.4

26.86%

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

$1.72 BZD 3.44

$0.87 ฿29.41

97.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 BZD 2.83

$0.49 ฿16.65

187.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 BZD 5.17

$2.56 ฿86.3

1.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 BZD 6.13

$3.68 ฿124

-16.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.68 BZD 7.36

$1.66 ฿55.9

121.69%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 BZD 5.03

$1.46 ฿49.31

71.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 BZD 6.91

$1.50 ฿50.5

130.00%

Eggs

$3.65 BZD 7.30

$2.09 ฿70.5

74.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.54 BZD 13.08

$19.07 ฿643

-65.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.80 BZD 19.61

$3.30 ฿111

196.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 BZD 18.22

$10.91 ฿368

-16.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 BZD 5.39

$2.93 ฿98.9

-7.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 BZD 3.70

$1.69 ฿57.0

9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 BZD 5.40

$2.25 ฿75.8

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 BZD 6.02

$2.08 ฿70.0

44.71%

Potato (1kg)

$4.06 BZD 8.12

$1.51 ฿51.0

168.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 BZD 5.52

$1.38 ฿46.52

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 BZD 4.55

$1.07 ฿35.96

112.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 BZD 3.16

$0.52 ฿17.51

203.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.52 BZD 9.05

$4.20 ฿142

7.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 BZD 19.87

$18.79 ฿634

-47.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 BZD 4.76

$1.82 ฿61.5

30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 BZD 4.04

$2.84 ฿95.8

-28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.03 BZD 8.06

$1.45 ฿48.98

177.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 BZD 9.85

$3.02 ฿102

62.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.49 BZD 4.98

$1.47 ฿49.76

69.39%

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

$10.7K BZD 21.4K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-60.04%

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

$26.7K ฿900.5K

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

$376 BZD 753

$96.4 ฿3,251

290.70%

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

$50.3 BZD 101

$11.26 ฿380

346.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.00 BZD 54.0

$16.85 ฿568

60.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.75 BZD 49.51

$67.2 ฿2,268

-63.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.45 BZD 4.89

$10.73 ฿362

-77.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 BZD 10.15

$7.50 ฿253

-32.40%

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

$65.5 BZD 131

$476 ฿16.1K

-86.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$684 BZD 1,369

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-93.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.81 BZD 65.6

$62.4 ฿2,104

-47.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.95 BZD 49.90

$28.41 ฿958

-12.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$37.57 BZD 75.2

$94.3 ฿3,181

-60.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$37.85 BZD 75.7

$85.8 ฿2,895

-55.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 BZD 687

$716 ฿24.2K

-51.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 BZD 386

$491 ฿16.6K

-60.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$563 BZD 1,127

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-70.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 BZD 641

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-77.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$849 BZD 1,698

$502 ฿16.9K

69.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

5.57

106.46%

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

Last update for Belize City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belize City

$454 36.7%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 72.6% $329

Groceries & Markets

Belize City

$318 25.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 16.4% $52

Accommodation & Living

Belize City

$193 15.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 154% $298

Eating Out

Belize City

$155 12.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 21.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Belize City

$60 4.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 103% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Belize City

$35 2.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 136% $47

Getting Around

Belize City

$21 * 1.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 236% $50

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 $344 in Belize City and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belize City pays 69% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $50 in Belize City vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇿 Belize City

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

06:37 6:37 AM

13 h ahead of Belize City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,999

79,308

💱 Currency

Belize Dollar BZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.448 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BZD – Belize Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇿 Belize Dollar ($)

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.23 BZD (1 BZD = 0.448 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Belize City Phuket 17,100 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Belize City
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

Belize City vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belize City wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Belize City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 69% higher in Belize City, 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: $344 in Belize City versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,236 per month in Belize City versus $1,278 in Phuket – Belize City is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Belize City is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.