Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elche and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,483 in Elche, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Elche
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Elche Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Elche

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,483

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,483 in Elche versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Elche $1,483
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,201 in Elche versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Elche $2,201
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,918 in Elche versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Elche $2,918
Phuket $3,154

Living in Elche is roughly 16% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Elche is 9% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$4.47 ฿151

272.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$32.41 ฿1,092

73.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 €10.01

$8.81 ฿297

26.79%

Cappuccino

$2.49 €2.23

$2.83 ฿95.3

-12.01%

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

$2.41 €2.16

$0.87 ฿29.37

177.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.49 ฿16.64

279.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.56 ฿86.2

26.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.95

$3.68 ฿124

-10.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.66 ฿55.9

-33.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.46 ฿49.25

10.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.50 ฿50.4

3.33%

Eggs

$3.03 €2.72

$2.09 ฿70.4

44.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.81

$19.07 ฿642

-25.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 €7.09

$3.30 ฿111

139.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 €12.13

$10.91 ฿368

24.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$2.93 ฿98.7

-12.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.69 ฿56.9

14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$2.25 ฿75.7

-15.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.08 ฿70.0

16.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.51 ฿50.9

15.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.38 ฿46.47

38.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 €0.93

$1.07 ฿35.91

-3.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$0.52 ฿17.49

34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.47 €5.80

$4.20 ฿142

54.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.12

$18.79 ฿633

-69.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 €0.95

$1.82 ฿61.4

-41.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$2.84 ฿95.7

-63.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.45 ฿48.93

-2.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.72 €20.36

$56.7 ฿1,909

-59.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 €2.77

$3.02 ฿102

2.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.78

$1.02 ฿34.29

-14.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.91 €15.15

$3.69 ฿124

358.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.47 ฿49.70

19.73%

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

$31.4K €28.1K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

17.25%

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

$31.8K €28.5K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

19.25%

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

$138 €123

$96.4 ฿3,247

42.90%

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

$17.13 €15.35

$11.26 ฿380

52.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.35 €23.61

$16.85 ฿568

56.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.31 €40.60

$67.2 ฿2,266

-32.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.11 €9.96

$10.73 ฿361

3.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 €6.56

$7.50 ฿253

-2.27%

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

$692 €620

$476 ฿16.0K

45.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,979 €8,942

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-11.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 €74.7

$62.4 ฿2,102

33.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.43 €31.75

$28.41 ฿957

24.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 €76.9

$94.3 ฿3,178

-8.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 €77.9

$85.8 ฿2,892

1.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$665 €596

$716 ฿24.1K

-7.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 €524

$491 ฿16.5K

19.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 €867

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-49.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$860 €771

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-39.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,033 €1,821

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-51.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,481 €1,327

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-51.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,599 €1,433

$502 ฿16.9K

218.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.57

-40.75%

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

Last update for Elche: 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

Elche

$585 39.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 16.1% $94

Groceries & Markets

Elche

$253 17.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 5.2% $13

Eating Out

Elche

$237 16%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 48.6% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elche

$181 12.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 31.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Elche

$131 8.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 7.1% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Elche

$60 4%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 37.1% $22

Getting Around

Elche

$36 2.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 97% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $665 in Elche and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Elche pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $56 in Elche vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $253 vs $266, with Elche cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Elche

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

13:27 1:27 PM

6 h ahead of Elche

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

238,293

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Elche Phuket 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Elche
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

Elche vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Elche. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Elche is about 3.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $665 in Elche versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $56 in Elche. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,483 per month in Elche versus $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket is about 14% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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