Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benalmadena and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,849 in Benalmadena, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Benalmadena
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Benalmadena Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Benalmadena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,849

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,849 per month in Benalmadena vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Benalmadena $1,849
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,778 per month in Benalmadena vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Benalmadena $2,778
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,707 per month in Benalmadena vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Benalmadena $3,707
Phuket $3,154

Benalmadena costs about 45% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Benalmadena sits 36% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.63 €13.10

$4.47 ฿151

227.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.6

$32.41 ฿1,093

108.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 €8.39

$8.81 ฿297

6.36%

Cappuccino

$2.17 €1.95

$2.83 ฿95.4

-23.32%

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

$2.13 €1.90

$0.87 ฿29.41

144.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$0.49 ฿16.65

330.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.56 ฿86.3

26.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 €3.94

$3.68 ฿124

19.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.66 ฿55.9

-25.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.46 ฿49.31

13.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.50 ฿50.5

21.33%

Eggs

$3.32 €2.97

$2.09 ฿70.5

58.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.32 €13.72

$19.07 ฿643

-19.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.17 €7.32

$3.30 ฿111

147.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.17 €14.48

$10.91 ฿368

48.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$2.93 ฿98.9

-12.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.69 ฿57.0

11.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$2.25 ฿75.8

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.08 ฿70.0

17.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.51 ฿51.0

22.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.38 ฿46.52

48.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.07 ฿35.96

34.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.52 ฿17.51

42.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 €5.75

$4.20 ฿142

52.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.11

$18.79 ฿634

-63.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.82 ฿61.5

-35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$2.84 ฿95.8

-29.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.45 ฿48.98

39.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.41 €27.23

$56.7 ฿1,912

-46.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 €1.71

$3.02 ฿102

-36.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.02 ฿34.33

18.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.35 €20.01

$3.69 ฿125

505.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.47 ฿49.76

24.49%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

27.68%

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

$30.9K €27.7K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

15.83%

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

$140 €125

$96.4 ฿3,251

45.32%

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

$12.85 €11.51

$11.26 ฿380

14.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.12 €28.77

$16.85 ฿568

90.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.94 €43.83

$67.2 ฿2,268

-27.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.68 €14.04

$10.73 ฿362

46.13%

Cinema Ticket

$7.99 €7.16

$7.50 ฿253

6.53%

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

$566 €507

$476 ฿16.1K

18.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,540 €8,544

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-15.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €80.0

$62.4 ฿2,104

43.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.33 €35.22

$28.41 ฿958

38.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 €85.9

$94.3 ฿3,181

1.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$85.8 ฿2,895

32.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$945 €847

$716 ฿24.2K

32.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$910 €815

$491 ฿16.6K

85.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,680 €1,504

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-12.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 €1,347

$1,431 ฿48.3K

5.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,126 €3,695

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-1.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,499 €3,134

$3,045 ฿102.7K

14.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,882 €3,477

$502 ฿16.9K

672.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.57

-40.75%

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

Last update for Benalmadena: 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

Benalmadena

$910 49.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 46.1% $420

Groceries & Markets

Benalmadena

$276 14.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 3.6% $10

Eating Out

Benalmadena

$213 11.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 42.9% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benalmadena

$185 10%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 32.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Benalmadena

$152 8.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Benalmadena

$65 3.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 26.6% $17

Getting Around

Benalmadena

$46 2.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 51.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $945 in Benalmadena 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.

Salaries in Benalmadena are about 7.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Benalmadena versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Benalmadena

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

19:22 7:22 PM

01:22 1:22 AM

6 h ahead of Benalmadena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,801

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Benalmadena Phuket 10,620 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Benalmadena
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

Benalmadena vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Benalmadena is pricier by about 45%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,773 per month in Benalmadena and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $945 in Benalmadena.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Benalmadena, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Benalmadena and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Benalmadena at $1,849. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Benalmadena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Benalmadena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.