Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bissau and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $814 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$814

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $814 in Bissau versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Bissau $814
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,314 in Bissau versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Bissau $1,314
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,813 in Bissau versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Bissau $1,813
Phuket $3,115

Living in Bissau costs roughly 37% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bissau 40% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.01 F CFA 2,923

$4.39 ฿147

14.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.78 F CFA 15.1K

$32.31 ฿1,078

-20.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 F CFA 5,435

$8.70 ฿290

7.01%

Cappuccino

$1.71 F CFA 1,001

$2.72 ฿90.9

-37.13%

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

$1.05 F CFA 611

$0.93 ฿31.06

12.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 F CFA 509

$0.50 ฿16.67

74.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 F CFA 416

$2.53 ฿84.5

-71.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 F CFA 982

$1.74 ฿58.1

-3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 F CFA 533

$1.45 ฿48.42

-37.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 F CFA 1,168

$1.50 ฿50.1

33.33%

Eggs

$5.08 F CFA 2,965

$2.17 ฿72.5

134.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.22 F CFA 8,306

$19.09 ฿637

-25.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.39 F CFA 7,819

$3.40 ฿113

293.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.77 F CFA 8,042

$10.90 ฿364

26.33%

Apples (1kg)

$4.14 F CFA 2,415

$2.94 ฿98.2

40.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 F CFA 605

$1.69 ฿56.5

-38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 F CFA 2,496

$2.19 ฿73.2

94.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.18 F CFA 104

$2.12 ฿70.9

-91.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 F CFA 777

$1.46 ฿48.68

-8.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 F CFA 800

$1.37 ฿45.66

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿35.91

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 F CFA 734

$0.55 ฿18.21

129.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿148

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 F CFA 3,958

$18.25 ฿609

-62.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 F CFA 766

$1.77 ฿59.2

-25.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 F CFA 504

$2.88 ฿96.2

-70.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 F CFA 304

$1.45 ฿48.32

-64.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.31 F CFA 14.8K

$54.9 ฿1,832

-53.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.5

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿25.90

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 F CFA 833

$1.49 ฿49.65

-4.03%

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

$32.1K F CFA 18.8M

$26.9K ฿897.3K

19.58%

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

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

$26.3K ฿879.4K

9.80%

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

$103 F CFA 60.3K

$97.8 ฿3,265

5.51%

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

$34.08 F CFA 19.9K

$11.29 ฿377

201.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.88 F CFA 26.8K

$17.19 ฿574

166.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 F CFA 24.6K

$68.3 ฿2,281

-38.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿365

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿248

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

$759 F CFA 443.4K

$530 ฿17.7K

43.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,301 F CFA 1.3M

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-87.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,059

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿943

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,204

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,898

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 F CFA 301.4K

$721 ฿24.1K

-28.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 F CFA 97.9K

$509 ฿17.0K

-67.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 F CFA 492.4K

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-56.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$431 F CFA 251.8K

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-69.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿139.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,042 F CFA 608.6K

$492 ฿16.4K

112.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Bissau: November 3, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bissau

–

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Groceries & Markets

Bissau

–

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bissau

–

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Clothing & Footwear

Bissau

–

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Eating Out

Bissau

–

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Sport & Entertainment

Bissau

–

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Getting Around

Bissau

–

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $516 in Bissau and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bissau pays about 2.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26 in Bissau vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $294 vs $267, with Phuket cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇼 Bissau

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

20:55 8:55 PM

03:55 3:55 AM

7 h ahead of Bissau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,954 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 584 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bissau Phuket 12,390 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Bissau
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

Bissau vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $814 in Bissau and $1,294 in Phuket, so Bissau is about 37% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bissau is about 2.1 times higher, 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: $516 in Bissau versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Bissau versus $530 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 9% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $814 in Bissau versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.