Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caldas da Rainha and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,538 in Caldas da Rainha, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
Phuket, Thailand
Caldas da Rainha
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,538
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,278
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,538 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Caldas da Rainha $1,538
  • Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $2,340 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Caldas da Rainha $2,340
  • Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $3,142 per month in Caldas da Rainha vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

  • Caldas da Rainha $3,142
  • Phuket $3,154

Caldas da Rainha costs about 20% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Caldas da Rainha sits 13% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Caldas da Rainha
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.40 €13.79
$4.47 ฿151
244.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.5 €45.23
$32.41 ฿1,093
55.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.17 €9.11
$8.81 ฿297
15.44%
Cappuccino
$2.04 €1.82
$2.83 ฿95.4
-27.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 €2.06
$0.87 ฿29.41
164.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.41 €1.26
$0.49 ฿16.65
187.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.86 €2.56
$2.56 ฿86.3
11.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.84 €3.44
$3.68 ฿124
4.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Caldas da Rainha
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 €0.99
$1.66 ฿55.9
-33.13%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 €1.29
$1.46 ฿49.31
-1.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 €1.36
$1.50 ฿50.5
0.67%
Eggs
$3.01 €2.70
$2.09 ฿70.5
44.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.63 €9.52
$19.07 ฿643
-44.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.38 €6.61
$3.30 ฿111
123.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.87 €11.53
$10.91 ฿368
17.97%
Apples (1kg)
$1.94 €1.73
$2.93 ฿98.9
-33.79%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 €1.22
$1.69 ฿57.0
-19.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 €1.53
$2.25 ฿75.8
-24.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.41 €2.16
$2.08 ฿70.0
15.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.94 €1.74
$1.51 ฿51.0
28.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 €1.65
$1.38 ฿46.52
33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.27 €1.14
$1.07 ฿35.96
18.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 €0.76
$0.52 ฿17.51
63.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.56 €4.98
$4.20 ฿142
32.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.00 €3.58
$18.79 ฿634
-78.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 €1.48
$1.82 ฿61.5
-8.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 €1.46
$2.84 ฿95.8
-42.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Caldas da Rainha
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.56 €3.19
$1.45 ฿48.98
145.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$33.99 €30.44
$56.7 ฿1,912
-40.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.87 €2.57
$3.02 ฿102
-4.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.02 ฿34.33
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$3.69 ฿125
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.97 €1.77
$1.47 ฿49.76
34.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.0K €30.4K
$26.8K ฿903.4K
26.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.4K €33.5K
$26.7K ฿900.5K
40.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Caldas da Rainha
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$110 €98.1
$96.4 ฿3,251
13.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.81 €15.95
$11.26 ฿380
58.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.39 €34.38
$16.85 ฿568
127.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Caldas da Rainha
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.37 €44.22
$67.2 ฿2,268
-26.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.77 €24.87
$10.73 ฿362
158.81%
Cinema Ticket
$8.96 €8.02
$7.50 ฿253
19.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Caldas da Rainha
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$405 €362
$476 ฿16.1K
-14.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,554 €4,974
$11.3K ฿380.0K
-50.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Caldas da Rainha
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.2 €84.4
$62.4 ฿2,104
51.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.21 €36.91
$28.41 ฿958
45.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$110 €98.9
$94.3 ฿3,181
17.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$68.2 €61.1
$85.8 ฿2,895
-20.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Caldas da Rainha
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$919 €823
$716 ฿24.2K
28.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$666 €596
$491 ฿16.6K
35.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,416 €1,268
$1,927 ฿65.0K
-26.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,136 €1,017
$1,431 ฿48.3K
-20.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,933 €2,627
$4,175 ฿140.9K
-29.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,287 €2,049
$3,045 ฿102.7K
-24.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Caldas da Rainha
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,147 €1,027
$502 ฿16.9K
128.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.11
5.57
-44.17%

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

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Caldas da Rainha
$666
Phuket
$491 26.2% $175
Groceries & Markets
Caldas da Rainha
$232
Phuket
$266 14.7% $34
Eating Out
Caldas da Rainha
$215
Phuket
$122 43.4% $93
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Caldas da Rainha
$166
Phuket
$124 24.9% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Caldas da Rainha
$141
Phuket
$122 13.8% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Caldas da Rainha
$67
Phuket
$82 22.2% $15
Getting Around
Caldas da Rainha
$51 *
Phuket
$71 38.2% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $919 in Caldas da Rainha 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 Caldas da Rainha are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Caldas da Rainha versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $232 in Caldas da Rainha vs $266 in Phuket – so Caldas da Rainha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
12:31 12:31 PM
19:31 7:31 PM
7 h ahead of Caldas da Rainha
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
50,917
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
  • Caldas da Rainha Phuket 10,920 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Caldas da Rainha
  • 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
Caldas da Rainha vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Caldas da Rainha?
Yes – Caldas da Rainha is pricier by about 20%, 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 $2,307 per month in Caldas da Rainha 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 $919 in Caldas da Rainha.
Is eating out cheaper in Caldas da Rainha or in Phuket?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Caldas da Rainha and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Caldas da Rainha and in Phuket?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,538 in Caldas da Rainha and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 17% cheaper.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Caldas da Rainha or in Phuket?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Caldas da Rainha at $1,538. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caldas da Rainha it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is it better to live in Caldas da Rainha or in Phuket?
It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,278 in Phuket to $1,538 in Caldas da Rainha. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Caldas da Rainha or Phuket?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
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, Caldas da Rainha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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