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: $2,195 in Cascais versus $1,265 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,513 in Cascais versus $2,297 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,831 in Cascais versus $3,329 in Phuket.

Living in Cascais is roughly 73% more expensive than Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cascais is 64% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.14 €12.17

$4.70 ฿153

200.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.31 €39.87

$45.37 ฿1,482

2.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.08 €7.82

$8.43 ฿275

7.71%

Cappuccino

$2.89 €2.49

$2.93 ฿95.6

-1.37%

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

$2.15 €1.85

$0.69 ฿22.40

211.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.29

$0.37 ฿11.99

305.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 €1.93

$2.41 ฿78.6

-6.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €2.97

$3.72 ฿122

-6.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.92

$2.23 ฿72.9

-52.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 €1.57

$1.83 ฿59.8

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 €1.62

$2.17 ฿70.8

-13.36%

Eggs

$3.08 €2.65

$2.21 ฿72.3

39.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 €9.58

$19.74 ฿645

-43.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.69

$3.63 ฿119

114.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 €12.42

$13.53 ฿442

6.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.14

$3.28 ฿107

-24.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 €1.47

$1.61 ฿52.6

5.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 €1.69

$2.41 ฿78.6

-18.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 €2.50

$2.08 ฿68.1

39.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 €1.26

$1.53 ฿49.93

-4.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.77

$1.48 ฿48.36

38.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.48

$0.99 ฿32.29

73.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.81

$0.51 ฿16.67

84.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 €5.22

$4.41 ฿144

37.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 €6.85

$19.38 ฿633

-58.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.09

$1.78 ฿58.1

-28.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.27

$2.71 ฿88.6

-2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 €2.29

$1.37 ฿44.79

94.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.99 €40.46

$11.39 ฿372

312.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.06 €3.49

$3.02 ฿98.6

34.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 €0.74

$0.99 ฿32.48

-13.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.53 €12.51

$14.10 ฿461

3.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 €1.71

$1.36 ฿44.51

45.59%

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

$34.9K €30.0K

$28.2K ฿921.1K

23.62%

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

$40.0K €34.5K

$32.9K ฿1.1M

21.66%

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

$147 €127

$122 ฿3,975

20.85%

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

$21.49 €18.50

$13.57 ฿443

58.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.98 €36.14

$18.31 ฿598

129.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.9 €59.3

$60.2 ฿1,967

14.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.37 €9.79

$17.14 ฿560

-33.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.42 €7.25

$8.69 ฿284

-3.11%

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

$616 €530

$693 ฿22.6K

-11.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K €13.9K

$15.7K ฿512.3K

3.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.5 €75.3

$59.5 ฿1,944

46.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 €33.08

$34.77 ฿1,136

10.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 €79.8

$115 ฿3,743

-19.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.1 €81.0

$83.3 ฿2,720

12.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,712 €1,474

$613 ฿20.0K

179.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 €1,100

$437 ฿14.3K

192.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,794 €3,266

$2,094 ฿68.4K

81.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,605 €2,243

$1,509 ฿49.3K

72.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,217 €6,213

$3,749 ฿122.5K

92.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,058 €4,354

$2,616 ฿85.4K

93.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,300 €1,980

$508 ฿16.6K

352.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

5.33

-28.52%

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

Last update for Cascais: June 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,712 in Cascais and $613 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 353% 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 $45.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $263 vs $293, with Cascais cheaper for home cooking.

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 Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 73% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Cascais pays 353% more on average, 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: $1,712 in Cascais versus $613 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cascais pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $45.00 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 $2,195 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 73% less than in Cascais. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.