Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaves and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,064 per month in Chaves vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Chaves $1,064
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $1,607 per month in Chaves vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Chaves $1,607
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,150 per month in Chaves vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Chaves $2,150
Phuket $2,845

Chaves is about 12% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chaves and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Chaves 21% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 €7.10

$4.40 ฿147

81.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.32 €19.86

$32.26 ฿1,078

-30.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 €6.92

$8.76 ฿293

-11.19%

Cappuccino

$1.54 €1.37

$2.83 ฿94.5

-45.58%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$0.90 ฿30.14

65.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.47 ฿15.56

21.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.55 ฿85.2

-10.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.83 ฿128

-28.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.73 ฿57.7

-41.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.47 ฿49.11

-22.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.51 ฿50.6

-25.17%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.71

$2.17 ฿72.7

40.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 €5.54

$19.70 ฿658

-68.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 €5.81

$3.34 ฿112

95.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 €9.12

$11.16 ฿373

-8.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.85 ฿95.1

-60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.70 ฿56.9

-32.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$2.19 ฿73.3

-49.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.97

$2.05 ฿68.4

-46.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.45 ฿48.57

39.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.38 ฿46.16

-18.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.07 ฿35.69

31.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$0.51 ฿16.91

54.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$4.26 ฿142

40.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$18.58 ฿621

-78.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.78 ฿59.7

-35.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.85 ฿95.2

-59.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 €0.77

$2.26 ฿75.6

-61.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.67 €24.61

$22.10 ฿738

25.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$3.01 ฿101

31.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.06 ฿35.34

-35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 €17.60

$3.86 ฿129

412.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.45 ฿48.45

34.48%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

29.61%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

39.56%

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

$134 €119

$96.4 ฿3,221

38.64%

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

$17.81 €15.84

$11.04 ฿369

61.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 €28.19

$17.14 ฿573

84.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.25 €22.46

$52.2 ฿1,744

-51.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.49 €4.88

$11.16 ฿373

-50.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 €6.35

$7.81 ฿261

-8.58%

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

$223 €199

$556 ฿18.6K

-59.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,620 €3,220

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-68.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €63.9

$64.2 ฿2,146

11.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.56 €20.07

$28.69 ฿959

-21.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.1

$95.4 ฿3,187

-33.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 €80.3

$88.0 ฿2,940

2.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €425

$737 ฿24.6K

-35.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 €336

$462 ฿15.5K

-18.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 €846

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-54.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-38.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 €1,663

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-46.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 €1,310

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-41.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,015 €903

$501 ฿16.7K

102.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-46.14%

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

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaves

$378 35.5%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 22.4% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaves

$183 17.2%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 32% $59

Groceries & Markets

Chaves

$182 17.2%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 47.2% $86

Eating Out

Chaves

$131 12.3%

Phuket

$121 10% 7.4% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Chaves

$111 10.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 11.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Chaves

$40 3.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 71.5% $28

Getting Around

Chaves

$39 3.6%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 2.4% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Chaves versus $737 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 103% higher in Chaves, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chaves versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $269 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Chaves

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

21:53 9:53 PM

6 h ahead of Chaves

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,592

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chaves Phuket 10,710 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chaves
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

Chaves vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 14% more than Chaves, 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 $1,596 per month in Chaves and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 25% less in Chaves. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $223 per month in Chaves and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chaves, where all-in costs run around $1,064, than in Phuket at $1,208. In Chaves it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chaves costs $1,064 versus $1,208 in Phuket. 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 Chaves. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.