Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cayo Coco and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Cayo Coco: $1,224 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

59

Cost of Living Index in Cayo Coco
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Cayo Coco Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Cayo Coco

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,224

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,224 in Cayo Coco versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Cayo Coco $1,224
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,689 in Cayo Coco versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Cayo Coco $1,689
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,155 in Cayo Coco versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Cayo Coco $2,155
Phuket $3,154

Living in Cayo Coco costs roughly 4% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cayo Coco 10% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.11 CUP 123

$4.47 ฿151

14.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.92 CUP 358

$32.41 ฿1,094

-53.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 CUP 166

$8.81 ฿297

-21.68%

Cappuccino

$0.97 CUP 23.34

$2.83 ฿95.4

-65.72%

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

$2.05 CUP 49.24

$0.87 ฿29.42

135.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 CUP 23.61

$0.49 ฿16.66

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 CUP 46.63

$2.56 ฿86.3

-24.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 CUP 74.0

$3.68 ฿124

-16.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.04 CUP 72.9

$1.66 ฿56.0

83.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 CUP 23.72

$1.46 ฿49.32

-32.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 CUP 47.29

$1.50 ฿50.5

31.33%

Eggs

$3.69 CUP 88.6

$2.09 ฿70.5

76.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.86 CUP 141

$19.07 ฿643

-69.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.06 CUP 121

$3.30 ฿111

53.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.80 CUP 235

$10.91 ฿368

-10.17%

Apples (1kg)

$5.07 CUP 122

$2.93 ฿98.9

73.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 CUP 24.25

$1.69 ฿57.0

-40.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 CUP 24.48

$2.25 ฿75.8

-54.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 CUP 23.73

$2.08 ฿70.1

-52.40%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 CUP 23.58

$1.51 ฿51.0

-35.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 CUP 74.2

$1.38 ฿46.54

123.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 CUP 24.30

$1.07 ฿35.97

-5.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 CUP 23.64

$0.52 ฿17.51

90.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 CUP 70.8

$4.20 ฿142

-29.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 CUP 241

$18.79 ฿634

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CUP 46.99

$1.82 ฿61.5

7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 CUP 47.01

$2.84 ฿95.9

-30.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.39 CUP 489

$56.7 ฿1,912

-64.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.97 CUP 23.33

$3.02 ฿102

-67.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 CUP 24.48

$1.02 ฿34.34

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.19 CUP 485

$3.69 ฿125

447.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 CUP 23.42

$1.47 ฿49.78

-33.33%

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

$71.3K CUP 1.7M

$26.8K ฿903.7K

166.44%

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

$80.8K CUP 1.9M

$26.7K ฿900.8K

202.63%

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

$39.92 CUP 958

$96.4 ฿3,252

-58.57%

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

$40.23 CUP 966

$11.26 ฿380

257.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$221 CUP 5,307

$16.85 ฿569

1212.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.44 CUP 971

$67.2 ฿2,269

-39.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.03 CUP 241

$10.73 ฿362

-6.52%

Cinema Ticket

$0.99 CUP 23.71

$7.50 ฿253

-86.80%

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

$89.0 CUP 2,136

$476 ฿16.1K

-81.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K CUP 362.8K

$11.3K ฿380.1K

34.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.38 CUP 969

$62.4 ฿2,105

-35.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.55 CUP 709

$28.41 ฿959

4.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 CUP 1,773

$94.3 ฿3,182

-21.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 CUP 1,950

$85.8 ฿2,896

-5.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$404 CUP 9,699

$716 ฿24.2K

-43.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 CUP 10.0K

$491 ฿16.6K

-15.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,031 CUP 24.7K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-46.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$623 CUP 14.9K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-56.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$300 CUP 7,202

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-92.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$354 CUP 8,487

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-88.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$19.60 CUP 471

$502 ฿17.0K

-96.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

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

Last update for Cayo Coco: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cayo Coco

$417 34.1%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 17.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cayo Coco

$301 24.6%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 58.7% $177

Groceries & Markets

Cayo Coco

$234 19.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 13.6% $32

Eating Out

Cayo Coco

$101 8.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.2% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Cayo Coco

$101 8.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.3% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cayo Coco

$42 3.5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 93.8% $40

Getting Around

Cayo Coco

$26 * 2.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 167% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $404 in Cayo Coco and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 26 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $15 in Cayo Coco vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $266 per month, with Cayo Coco cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Cayo Coco

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

09:23 9:23 AM

12 h ahead of Cayo Coco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.73 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.8 CUP (100 CUP = 3.73 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cayo Coco Phuket 16,620 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Cayo Coco
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cayo Coco vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cayo Coco wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cayo Coco the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 96% lower in Cayo Coco. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $404 in Cayo Coco versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cayo Coco runs roughly 64% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $89 in Cayo Coco versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cayo Coco is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Cayo Coco gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.