Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benidorm and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,707 in Benidorm, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Benidorm, Spain
Phuket, Thailand
Benidorm
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,707
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,707 per month in Benidorm vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Benidorm $1,707
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,498 per month in Benidorm vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Benidorm $2,498
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,290 per month in Benidorm vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Benidorm $3,290
  • Phuket $3,154

Benidorm costs about 34% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Benidorm sits 25% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Benidorm
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.28 €15.48
$4.47 ฿151
286.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$52.9 €47.41
$32.41 ฿1,093
63.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.28 €11.00
$8.81 ฿297
39.39%
Cappuccino
$2.32 €2.08
$2.83 ฿95.4
-18.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 €2.05
$0.87 ฿29.41
163.22%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.18 €1.05
$0.49 ฿16.65
140.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.41 €3.05
$2.56 ฿86.3
33.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 €3.29
$3.68 ฿124
-0.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Benidorm
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €1.02
$1.66 ฿55.9
-31.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.46 ฿49.31
-10.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.41 €1.26
$1.50 ฿50.5
-6.00%
Eggs
$3.50 €3.13
$2.09 ฿70.5
67.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.98 €9.83
$19.07 ฿643
-42.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.10 €7.25
$3.30 ฿111
145.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.68 €14.04
$10.91 ฿368
43.72%
Apples (1kg)
$2.10 €1.88
$2.93 ฿98.9
-28.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.83 €1.64
$1.69 ฿57.0
8.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.92 €1.72
$2.25 ฿75.8
-14.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.66 €2.38
$2.08 ฿70.0
27.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.72 €1.54
$1.51 ฿51.0
13.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.77 €1.59
$1.38 ฿46.52
28.26%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 €0.99
$1.07 ฿35.96
2.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.44 €0.39
$0.52 ฿17.51
-15.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.96 €5.34
$4.20 ฿142
41.90%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.73 €5.13
$18.79 ฿634
-69.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.87 €0.78
$1.82 ฿61.5
-52.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$2.84 ฿95.8
-66.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Benidorm
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.45 ฿48.98
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$56.7 ฿1,912
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.50 €4.03
$3.02 ฿102
49.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 €1.20
$1.02 ฿34.33
32.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.26 €21.73
$3.69 ฿125
557.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.72 €1.54
$1.47 ฿49.76
17.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K €30.6K
$26.8K ฿903.4K
27.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.3K €26.2K
$26.7K ฿900.5K
9.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Benidorm
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$157 €141
$96.4 ฿3,251
63.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.38 €14.67
$11.26 ฿380
45.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.55 €20.20
$16.85 ฿568
33.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Benidorm
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$67.2 ฿2,268
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.73 ฿362
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.78 €9.66
$7.50 ฿253
43.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Benidorm
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$575 €515
$476 ฿16.1K
20.86%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,688 €8,677
$11.3K ฿380.0K
-13.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Benidorm
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$91.2 €81.6
$62.4 ฿2,104
46.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.40 €37.97
$28.41 ฿958
49.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.1 €86.1
$94.3 ฿3,181
1.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 €106
$85.8 ฿2,895
38.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Benidorm
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,002 €898
$716 ฿24.2K
40.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$838 €750
$491 ฿16.6K
70.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,766 €1,581
$1,927 ฿65.0K
-8.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,324 €1,186
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-7.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,197 €4,655
$4,175 ฿140.9K
24.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,542 €2,277
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-16.50%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Benidorm
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,785 €1,599
$502 ฿16.9K
255.37%
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 Benidorm: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Benidorm
$838
Phuket
$491 41.4% $347
Groceries & Markets
Benidorm
$243
Phuket
$266 9.6% $23
Eating Out
Benidorm
$241
Phuket
$122 49.5% $119
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Benidorm
$196
Phuket
$124 36.5% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Benidorm
$157
Phuket
$122 22.2% $35
Sport & Entertainment
Benidorm
$22 *
Phuket
$82 281% $61
Getting Around
Benidorm
$11 *
Phuket
$71 529% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,002 in Benidorm 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 Benidorm are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Benidorm versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $243 in Benidorm vs $266 in Phuket – so Benidorm wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Benidorm
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
20:36 8:36 PM
02:36 2:36 AM
6 h ahead of Benidorm
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
72,342
79,308
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Benidorm Phuket 10,190 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Benidorm
  • 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
Benidorm vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Benidorm?
Yes – Benidorm is pricier by about 34%, 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 $2,561 per month in Benidorm 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 $1,002 in Benidorm.
What are total monthly expenses in Benidorm and in Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,707 in Benidorm and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 25% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $575 per month in Benidorm and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Benidorm or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Benidorm at $1,707. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Benidorm it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Benidorm or Phuket more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Benidorm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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