Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between El Medano and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,446 in El Medano, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
Learn more

El Medano Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,446

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,446 per month in El Medano vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

El Medano $1,446
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,385 per month in El Medano vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

El Medano $2,385
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in El Medano vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

El Medano $3,324
Phuket $2,845

El Medano costs about 20% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

El Medano sits 7% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.11 €17.89

$4.40 ฿147

357.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 €54.4

$32.26 ฿1,078

89.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.07 €9.85

$8.76 ฿293

26.37%

Cappuccino

$1.99 €1.77

$2.83 ฿94.5

-29.68%

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

$1.90 €1.69

$0.90 ฿30.14

111.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.47 ฿15.56

174.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.55 ฿85.2

10.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.83 ฿128

-13.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.73 ฿57.7

-23.12%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.47 ฿49.11

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.51 ฿50.6

1.32%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.62

$2.17 ฿72.7

87.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.56 €12.96

$19.70 ฿658

-26.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 €7.88

$3.34 ฿112

165.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.58 €15.63

$11.16 ฿373

57.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$2.85 ฿95.1

-12.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.70 ฿56.9

38.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.19 ฿73.3

3.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.05 ฿68.4

23.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.45 ฿48.57

44.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.38 ฿46.16

39.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.07 ฿35.69

57.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.86

$0.51 ฿16.91

90.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.49 €4.88

$4.26 ฿142

28.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.80

$18.58 ฿621

-58.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.78 ฿59.7

-3.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.18

$2.85 ฿95.2

-53.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 €1.49

$2.26 ฿75.6

-26.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.80 €22.06

$22.10 ฿738

12.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.25 €3.78

$3.01 ฿101

41.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.06 ฿35.34

62.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.01 €15.13

$3.86 ฿129

340.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.45 ฿48.45

-13.10%

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

$26.7K €23.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

1.25%

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

$31.3K €27.8K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

16.16%

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

$98.8 €87.9

$96.4 ฿3,221

2.47%

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

$22.80 €20.28

$11.04 ฿369

106.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.05 €31.18

$17.14 ฿573

104.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.45 €40.43

$52.2 ฿1,744

-12.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.44 €12.85

$11.16 ฿373

29.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.67 €8.60

$7.81 ฿261

23.82%

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

$406 €361

$556 ฿18.6K

-26.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,136 €4,568

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-55.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.3 €81.2

$64.2 ฿2,146

42.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.48 €36.89

$28.69 ฿959

44.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.6 €82.3

$95.4 ฿3,187

-2.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$88.0 ฿2,940

28.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$884 €786

$737 ฿24.6K

19.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 €420

$462 ฿15.5K

2.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 €1,193

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-36.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 €912

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-14.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,400 €3,024

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-2.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,990 €1,770

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-21.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

5.57

-36.09%

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

Last update for El Medano: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

El Medano

$473 32.7%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 2.2% $10

Groceries & Markets

El Medano

$304 21%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 11.7% $36

Eating Out

El Medano

$251 17.4%

Phuket

$121 10% 51.8% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Medano

$157 10.8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 20.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

El Medano

$152 10.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 18.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

El Medano

$65 4.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 4.6% $3

Getting Around

El Medano

$44 3.1%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 11% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $884 in El Medano 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in El Medano versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $269 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 El Medano

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:13 5:13 AM

11:13 11:13 AM

6 h ahead of El Medano

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

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

El Medano Phuket 11,980 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

El Medano
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

El Medano vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,446 in El Medano, $1,208 in Phuket – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,170 per month in El Medano 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 Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $406 per month in El Medano and $556 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in El Medano, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in El Medano at $1,446. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in El Medano it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,208 in Phuket to $1,446 in El Medano. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, El Medano makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.