Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caye Caulker and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,882 in Caye Caulker, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Caye Caulker
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Caye Caulker Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Caye Caulker

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,882

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,882 per month in Caye Caulker vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Caye Caulker $1,882
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,735 per month in Caye Caulker vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Caye Caulker $2,735
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $3,588 per month in Caye Caulker vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Caye Caulker $3,588
Phuket $2,867

Caye Caulker costs about 56% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Caye Caulker sits 39% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.55 BZD 17.10

$4.58 ฿153

86.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.59 BZD 67.2

$32.48 ฿1,086

3.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 BZD 14.82

$8.55 ฿286

-13.33%

Cappuccino

$3.96 BZD 7.92

$2.72 ฿91.0

45.59%

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

$1.54 BZD 3.09

$0.94 ฿31.25

63.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BZD 3.46

$0.49 ฿16.39

253.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.04 BZD 6.08

$2.59 ฿86.6

17.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BZD 8.76

$3.83 ฿128

14.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 BZD 6.08

$1.74 ฿58.1

74.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 BZD 3.73

$1.43 ฿47.82

30.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.44 BZD 8.89

$1.53 ฿51.0

190.20%

Eggs

$4.10 BZD 8.19

$2.17 ฿72.7

88.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.90 BZD 21.80

$19.15 ฿640

-43.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.87 BZD 15.75

$3.30 ฿110

138.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.34 BZD 26.68

$11.14 ฿372

19.75%

Apples (1kg)

$8.50 BZD 17.01

$2.95 ฿98.5

188.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 BZD 2.23

$1.68 ฿56.1

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 BZD 2.68

$2.30 ฿76.8

-41.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 BZD 5.81

$2.13 ฿71.3

36.62%

Potato (1kg)

$5.59 BZD 11.18

$1.53 ฿51.1

265.36%

Onion (1kg)

$4.50 BZD 9.01

$1.36 ฿45.55

230.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.15 BZD 6.30

$1.12 ฿37.44

181.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 BZD 3.55

$0.55 ฿18.24

223.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 BZD 8.89

$4.26 ฿142

4.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.34 BZD 44.69

$18.19 ฿608

22.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 BZD 4.53

$1.74 ฿58.2

29.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 BZD 4.89

$2.79 ฿93.3

-12.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.12 BZD 10.24

$2.22 ฿74.1

130.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 BZD 45.14

$22.06 ฿737

2.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 BZD 7.08

$2.91 ฿97.3

21.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 BZD 6.18

$1.01 ฿33.79

205.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 BZD 9.97

$3.83 ฿128

30.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.98 BZD 5.97

$1.49 ฿49.85

100.00%

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

$10.5K BZD 21.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-60.47%

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

$21.4K BZD 42.8K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

-19.84%

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

$204 BZD 407

$99.4 ฿3,321

104.99%

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

$34.98 BZD 70.0

$11.28 ฿377

210.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.5 BZD 151

$17.36 ฿580

335.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.43 BZD 70.9

$52.3 ฿1,747

-32.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.82 BZD 27.64

$10.85 ฿362

27.37%

Cinema Ticket

$11.85 BZD 23.70

$7.57 ฿253

56.54%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.3 BZD 149

$62.9 ฿2,102

18.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.9 BZD 122

$28.58 ฿955

113.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$152 BZD 303

$96.1 ฿3,213

57.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.95 BZD 99.9

$88.1 ฿2,943

-43.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 BZD 2,008

$729 ฿24.4K

37.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 BZD 1,471

$460 ฿15.4K

59.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 BZD 1,547

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-63.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 BZD 2,493

$1,222 ฿40.8K

1.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,020 BZD 4,041

$493 ฿16.5K

309.75%

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 Caye Caulker: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caye Caulker

$735 39.1%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 37.4% $275

Groceries & Markets

Caye Caulker

$385 20.5%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 30.5% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caye Caulker

$314 16.7%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 59.3% $186

Eating Out

Caye Caulker

$175 9.3%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 30.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Caye Caulker

$152 8.1%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18.1% $27

Getting Around

Caye Caulker

$62 3.3%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 37.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Caye Caulker

$59 3.1%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 14% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,004 in Caye Caulker versus $729 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 run about 310% higher in Caye Caulker, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Caye Caulker versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇿 Caye Caulker

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

13:15 1:15 PM

13 h ahead of Caye Caulker

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,729

79,308

💱 Currency

Belize Dollar BZD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.445 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BZD – Belize Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇿 Belize Dollar ($)

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.25 BZD (1 BZD = 0.445 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Caye Caulker Phuket 17,080 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Caye Caulker
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

Caye Caulker vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caye Caulker costs about 56% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,823 per month in Caye Caulker and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,882 in Caye Caulker and $1,207 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 56%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Caye Caulker and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Caye Caulker at $1,882. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caye Caulker it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,207 versus $1,882 in Caye Caulker. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Caye Caulker makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.