Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cotonou and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $897 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Cotonou
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Cotonou Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Cotonou

🇧🇯 Benin

$897

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $897 in Cotonou versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Cotonou $897
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,428 in Cotonou versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Cotonou $1,428
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Cotonou versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Cotonou $1,958
Phuket $3,154

Living in Cotonou costs roughly 30% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cotonou 34% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.18 F CFA 3,050

$4.47 ฿151

15.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.68 F CFA 21.0K

$32.41 ฿1,094

10.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 F CFA 5,527

$8.81 ฿297

6.58%

Cappuccino

$5.25 F CFA 3,093

$2.83 ฿95.5

85.51%

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

$1.00 F CFA 590

$0.87 ฿29.43

14.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 F CFA 523

$0.49 ฿16.67

81.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 F CFA 511

$2.56 ฿86.4

-66.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 F CFA 1,525

$3.68 ฿124

-29.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 F CFA 1,824

$1.66 ฿56.0

86.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 F CFA 725

$1.46 ฿49.35

-15.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 F CFA 1,108

$1.50 ฿50.6

25.33%

Eggs

$2.74 F CFA 1,614

$2.09 ฿70.5

31.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 F CFA 5,449

$19.07 ฿644

-51.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 F CFA 3,196

$3.30 ฿111

64.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.04 F CFA 2,966

$10.91 ฿368

-53.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.99 F CFA 2,351

$2.93 ฿99.0

36.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 F CFA 1,046

$1.69 ฿57.1

5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 F CFA 781

$2.25 ฿75.8

-40.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 F CFA 1,595

$2.08 ฿70.1

30.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 F CFA 746

$1.51 ฿51.0

-15.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 F CFA 989

$1.38 ฿46.56

21.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 F CFA 253

$1.07 ฿35.99

-59.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 F CFA 672

$0.52 ฿17.52

119.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 F CFA 1,982

$4.20 ฿142

-19.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.30 F CFA 2,530

$18.79 ฿634

-77.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 F CFA 690

$1.82 ฿61.5

-35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 F CFA 1,094

$2.84 ฿95.9

-34.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 F CFA 766

$1.45 ฿49.03

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 F CFA 810

$3.02 ฿102

-54.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 F CFA 778

$1.02 ฿34.36

29.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 F CFA 696

$1.47 ฿49.81

-19.73%

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

$26.8K ฿904.3K

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

$23.5K F CFA 13.8M

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-11.92%

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

$145 F CFA 85.3K

$96.4 ฿3,254

50.34%

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

$33.52 F CFA 19.7K

$11.26 ฿380

197.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.06 F CFA 28.9K

$16.85 ฿569

191.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.60 F CFA 28.0K

$67.2 ฿2,270

-29.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.36 F CFA 1,978

$10.73 ฿362

-68.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.58 F CFA 5,055

$7.50 ฿253

14.40%

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

$131 F CFA 77.1K

$476 ฿16.1K

-72.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,544 F CFA 3.3M

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-50.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.39 F CFA 15.0K

$62.4 ฿2,106

-59.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿959

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$33.44 F CFA 19.7K

$94.3 ฿3,184

-64.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 F CFA 40.0K

$85.8 ฿2,898

-20.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$176 F CFA 103.6K

$716 ฿24.2K

-75.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 F CFA 95.9K

$491 ฿16.6K

-66.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$600 F CFA 353.4K

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-68.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 F CFA 242.9K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-71.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$251 F CFA 147.5K

$502 ฿17.0K

-50.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Cotonou: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cotonou

$227 25.4%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 45.3% $103

Groceries & Markets

Cotonou

$222 24.8%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 19.9% $44

Accommodation & Living

Cotonou

$163 18.2%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 202% $328

Eating Out

Cotonou

$150 16.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 18.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cotonou

$65 7.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 27% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Cotonou

$57 * 6.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 114% $65

Getting Around

Cotonou

$13 * 1.5%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 436% $57

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 $176 in Cotonou and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $36 in Cotonou vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $222 vs $266, with Cotonou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇯 Cotonou

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

03:27 3:27 AM

6 h ahead of Cotonou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

780,000

79,308

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cotonou Phuket 10,560 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cotonou
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

Cotonou vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cotonou is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, transport, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Cotonou. 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: $176 in Cotonou versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $897 per month in Cotonou versus $1,278 in Phuket – Cotonou is about 30% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $897 in Cotonou versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cotonou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Cotonou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Cotonou wins on affordability, Phuket on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.