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: $2,240 in Cascais versus $1,250 in Phuket.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Cascais versus $2,284 in Phuket.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,714 in Cascais versus $3,317 in Phuket.

Living in Cascais is roughly 79% more expensive than in Phuket, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cascais is 68% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.12

$4.55 ฿153

204.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.27 €40.52

$46.18 ฿1,553

0.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 €8.00

$8.84 ฿297

3.28%

Cappuccino

$2.91 €2.55

$3.06 ฿103

-4.90%

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

$2.16 €1.89

$0.73 ฿24.40

195.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.38

$0.40 ฿13.39

292.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 €1.97

$2.43 ฿81.8

-7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.03

$3.78 ฿127

-8.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 €0.92

$2.26 ฿76.0

-53.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 €1.59

$1.81 ฿60.9

0.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.62

$2.25 ฿75.8

-17.78%

Eggs

$3.15 €2.76

$2.25 ฿75.5

40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 €9.83

$19.51 ฿656

-42.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.78 €6.82

$3.65 ฿123

113.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.49 €12.69

$13.05 ฿439

11.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 €2.18

$3.23 ฿109

-22.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 €1.44

$1.62 ฿54.4

1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 €1.78

$2.38 ฿80.1

-14.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.51

$2.03 ฿68.1

41.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.33

$1.53 ฿51.6

-0.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.74

$1.50 ฿50.5

32.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 €1.45

$0.98 ฿32.91

68.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.82

$0.52 ฿17.39

80.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.99 €5.25

$4.44 ฿149

34.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.96 €6.97

$18.32 ฿616

-56.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.10

$1.86 ฿62.7

-32.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.35

$2.68 ฿90.1

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 €2.45

$1.41 ฿47.46

97.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.13 €40.40

$11.70 ฿393

294.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 €3.75

$3.11 ฿105

37.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.76

$1.04 ฿35.06

-16.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.45 €12.66

$14.11 ฿474

2.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.68

$1.31 ฿44.10

46.56%

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

$34.2K €29.9K

$27.8K ฿935.4K

22.93%

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

$39.6K €34.7K

$33.2K ฿1.1M

19.14%

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

$148 €130

$122 ฿4,118

20.88%

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

$21.68 €18.99

$13.59 ฿457

59.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.69 €36.51

$18.70 ฿629

122.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 €60.2

$60.5 ฿2,034

13.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.50 €10.07

$16.98 ฿571

-32.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 €7.42

$9.07 ฿305

-6.62%

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

$608 €532

$706 ฿23.8K

-13.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K €13.9K

$15.8K ฿531.5K

0.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.9 €76.1

$58.6 ฿1,969

48.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.35 €33.59

$35.36 ฿1,189

8.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 €82.4

$115 ฿3,883

-18.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 €79.6

$83.7 ฿2,816

8.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 €1,485

$626 ฿21.0K

171.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,262 €1,105

$445 ฿15.0K

183.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,736 €3,272

$2,040 ฿68.6K

83.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,687 €2,353

$1,492 ฿50.2K

80.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,056

$3,483 ฿117.1K

98.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,882 €4,276

$2,577 ฿86.7K

89.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,308 €2,022

$500 ฿16.8K

361.80%

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: July 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,696 in Cascais and $626 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cascais pays 362% 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 $46.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $264 vs $289 per month, with Cascais 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 Eating Out, Clothing & Footwear, Sport & Entertainment, Getting Around, Monthly Utilities & Internet. The 79% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 362% 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: $1,696 in Cascais versus $626 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Cascais pay roughly 10% 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 $46.00 versus $46.00 in Cascais. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,250 in Phuket versus $2,240 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 79% less than in Cascais. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.