Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascais and Phuket Cost of Living Comparison Between Cascais and Phuket

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,235 in Cascais versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,640 in Cascais versus $2,089 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,045 in Cascais versus $2,913 in Phuket.

Living in Cascais is roughly 77% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cascais is 62% above, Phuket is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.08 €13.86

$4.66 ฿154

245.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.46 €40.05

$32.22 ฿1,065

44.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.97 €8.59

$8.68 ฿287

14.86%

Cappuccino

$2.83 €2.44

$2.90 ฿95.8

-2.41%

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

$2.01 €1.74

$0.84 ฿27.89

139.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €1.97

$0.49 ฿16.16

365.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 €2.94

$2.48 ฿82.0

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €4.93

$3.73 ฿123

53.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.16

$1.89 ฿62.3

-28.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.07

$1.41 ฿46.54

70.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.46

$1.62 ฿53.6

4.32%

Eggs

$3.46 €2.98

$2.24 ฿74.1

54.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 €9.66

$19.84 ฿656

-43.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 €6.11

$3.48 ฿115

103.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.05 €13.83

$11.37 ฿376

41.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.53

$2.90 ฿95.8

1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.36

$1.72 ฿57.0

-8.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 €2.29

$2.27 ฿75.1

17.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.34 €2.01

$2.13 ฿70.4

9.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 €1.41

$1.47 ฿48.72

11.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.45 €2.12

$1.42 ฿46.92

72.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 €1.52

$1.10 ฿36.25

60.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.96

$0.60 ฿19.76

86.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 €5.19

$4.31 ฿142

39.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.02 €6.91

$18.60 ฿615

-56.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.15

$1.80 ฿59.5

-26.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €3.94

$2.97 ฿98.0

53.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.20

$2.25 ฿74.2

13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.41 €40.86

$23.49 ฿776

101.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 €1.97

$3.10 ฿102

-26.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿35.56

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.21 €1.91

$1.43 ฿47.16

54.55%

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

$35.2K €30.4K

$27.8K ฿918.0K

26.73%

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

$39.7K €34.2K

$27.0K ฿891.5K

47.14%

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

$139 €120

$105 ฿3,462

32.53%

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

$25.99 €22.41

$11.39 ฿376

128.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.1 €49.19

$17.54 ฿580

225.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 €55.3

$54.3 ฿1,795

18.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.74 €10.12

$11.44 ฿378

2.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.76 €6.69

$7.78 ฿257

-0.26%

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

$767 €661

$576 ฿19.0K

33.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K €16.6K

$11.6K ฿382.7K

66.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.2 €69.1

$63.6 ฿2,103

26.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.71 €33.37

$29.10 ฿961

33.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €96.9

$96.2 ฿3,179

16.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €118

$90.0 ฿2,974

52.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,853 €1,597

$733 ฿24.2K

152.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,007

$501 ฿16.5K

133.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 €3,416

$2,126 ฿70.2K

86.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,640 €2,276

$1,252 ฿41.4K

110.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,120 €6,137

$3,534 ฿116.8K

101.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,985 €4,297

$2,622 ฿86.6K

90.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,338 €2,015

$508 ฿16.8K

360.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

5.57

-34.11%

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

Last update for Cascais: September 7, 2026

Last update for Phuket: September 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,853 in Cascais and $733 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 361% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Cascais vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $275 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

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

Cascais vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in Groceries & Markets, Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Monthly Utilities & Internet, Sport & Entertainment. The 77% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 361% higher in Cascais, 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: $1,853 in Cascais versus $733 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Cascais. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $46.00 in Cascais. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,265 in Phuket versus $2,235 in Cascais, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Cascais. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cascais, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cascais and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 77% less than in Cascais. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.