Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ecuador and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Ecuador: $874 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇪🇨 Ecuador
$874
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,190
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Ecuador is 16.3% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 26.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ecuador is 12.1% cheaper than Phuket without rent, and 33.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ecuador
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.54 $3.54
$4.35 ฿146
-18.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$34.47 $34.47
$32.45 ฿1,087
6.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.97 $6.97
$8.42 ฿282
-17.22%
Cappuccino
$2.72 $2.72
$2.81 ฿94.0
-3.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 $1.03
$0.87 ฿29.29
18.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 $0.81
$0.46 ฿15.39
76.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.95 $1.95
$2.59 ฿86.6
-24.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 $3.92
$3.64 ฿122
7.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ecuador
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 $1.04
$1.71 ฿57.2
-39.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.45 ฿48.42
22.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.45 $1.45
$1.56 ฿52.3
-7.05%
Eggs
$2.05 $2.05
$2.10 ฿70.3
-2.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.10 $6.10
$19.53 ฿654
-68.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.43 $5.43
$3.40 ฿114
59.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.76 $7.76
$11.14 ฿373
-30.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.04 $2.04
$2.83 ฿94.8
-27.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 $1.05
$1.62 ฿54.3
-35.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 $1.33
$2.22 ฿74.5
-40.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.21 $1.21
$2.15 ฿71.9
-43.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.18 $1.18
$1.49 ฿49.95
-20.81%
Onion (1kg)
$1.01 $1.01
$1.33 ฿44.40
-24.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.77 $0.77
$1.07 ฿35.72
-28.04%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 $1.08
$0.51 ฿17.01
111.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.88 $5.88
$4.38 ฿147
34.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.06 $10.06
$18.77 ฿629
-46.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 $1.71
$1.74 ฿58.3
-1.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 $3.00
$2.78 ฿92.9
7.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Ecuador
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.33 $0.33
$2.17 ฿72.6
-84.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.01 $21.01
$22.28 ฿746
-5.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 $1.51
$3.02 ฿101
-50.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.51 $1.51
$1.06 ฿35.43
42.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.12 $10.12
$3.71 ฿124
172.78%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.79 $0.79
$1.43 ฿47.88
-44.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K $20.5K
$26.3K ฿882.1K
-22.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.5K $29.5K
$26.2K ฿877.3K
12.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ecuador
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.19 $44.19
$96.7 ฿3,236
-54.28%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.55 $13.55
$11.41 ฿382
18.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.23 $28.23
$17.11 ฿573
64.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ecuador
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.74 $34.74
$52.8 ฿1,768
-34.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.45 $15.45
$11.07 ฿371
39.57%
Cinema Ticket
$6.95 $6.95
$7.65 ฿256
-9.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ecuador
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$398 $398
$555 ฿18.6K
-28.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,244 $6,244
$11.3K ฿377.7K
-44.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ecuador
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$62.9 $62.9
$63.4 ฿2,123
-0.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.80 $45.80
$28.61 ฿958
60.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 $107
$96.7 ฿3,238
10.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.7 $77.7
$88.6 ฿2,967
-12.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ecuador
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$381 $381
$735 ฿24.6K
-48.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$278 $278
$458 ฿15.3K
-39.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$603 $603
$2,102 ฿70.4K
-71.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 $482
$1,187 ฿39.7K
-59.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,565 $1,565
$3,493 ฿116.9K
-55.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$812 $812
$2,491 ฿83.4K
-67.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ecuador
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$544 $544
$501 ฿16.8K
8.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.34
5.57
85.64%

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

Last update for Ecuador: October 5, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ecuador
$278
Phuket
$458 65% $180
Groceries & Markets
Ecuador
$195
Phuket
$268 37.4% $73
Clothing & Footwear
Ecuador
$132
Phuket
$125 5.3% $7
Eating Out
Ecuador
$107
Phuket
$119 11.6% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ecuador
$86
Phuket
$125 45.6% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Ecuador
$49
Phuket
$68 40% $19
Getting Around
Ecuador
$31
Phuket
$39 24.8% $7.8
Good to know
🇪🇨 Ecuador
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
22:49 10:49 PM
10:49 10:49 AM
12 h ahead of Ecuador
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,938,986
79,308
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ecuador Phuket 19,100 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ecuador
  • 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

Ecuador vs other spots: cost of living compared

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