Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Esmeraldas and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Esmeraldas: $789 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Esmeraldas
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Esmeraldas Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Esmeraldas

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$789

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $789 in Esmeraldas versus $1,207 in Phuket.

Esmeraldas $789
Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,359 in Esmeraldas versus $2,037 in Phuket.

Esmeraldas $1,359
Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,929 in Esmeraldas versus $2,867 in Phuket.

Esmeraldas $1,929
Phuket $2,867

Living in Esmeraldas costs roughly 35% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Esmeraldas 42% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.05 $3.05

$4.58 ฿153

-33.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.6 $53.6

$32.48 ฿1,086

65.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.96 $3.96

$8.55 ฿286

-53.68%

Cappuccino

$3.30 $3.30

$2.72 ฿91.0

21.32%

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

$0.52 $0.52

$0.94 ฿31.25

-44.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.49 ฿16.39

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.53 $3.53

$2.59 ฿86.6

36.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.87 $5.87

$3.83 ฿128

53.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.74 ฿58.1

-41.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.43 ฿47.82

8.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.53 ฿51.0

-1.31%

Eggs

$2.18 $2.18

$2.17 ฿72.7

0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 $6.38

$19.15 ฿640

-66.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.75 $5.75

$3.30 ฿110

74.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.94 $7.94

$11.14 ฿372

-28.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 $2.28

$2.95 ฿98.5

-22.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 $1.19

$1.68 ฿56.1

-29.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.30 ฿76.8

-42.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.13 ฿71.3

-49.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.53 ฿51.1

-18.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.36 ฿45.55

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.12 ฿37.44

-57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

$0.55 ฿18.24

92.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 $5.85

$4.26 ฿142

37.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.89 $9.89

$18.19 ฿608

-45.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.74 ฿58.2

-12.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 $3.20

$2.79 ฿93.3

14.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 $0.35

$2.22 ฿74.1

-84.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.82 $15.82

$22.06 ฿737

-28.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.91 ฿97.3

-47.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 $1.22

$1.01 ฿33.79

20.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.83 ฿128

156.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.49 ฿49.85

-41.61%

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

$21.1K $21.1K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-21.04%

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

$28.2K $28.2K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

5.41%

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

$28.51 $28.51

$99.4 ฿3,321

-71.31%

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

$17.81 $17.81

$11.28 ฿377

57.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.81 $28.81

$17.36 ฿580

65.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.46 $30.46

$52.3 ฿1,747

-41.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.98 $16.98

$10.85 ฿362

56.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 $6.53

$7.57 ฿253

-13.74%

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

$228 $228

$558 ฿18.7K

-59.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,109 $9,109

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-20.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.9 $69.9

$62.9 ฿2,102

11.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.87 $49.87

$28.58 ฿955

74.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 $117

$96.1 ฿3,213

21.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$88.1 ฿2,943

21.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 $297

$729 ฿24.4K

-59.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 $186

$460 ฿15.4K

-59.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 $622

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-70.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 $416

$1,222 ฿40.8K

-65.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,353 $1,353

$3,459 ฿115.6K

-60.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$706 $706

$2,489 ฿83.2K

-71.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 $451

$493 ฿16.5K

-8.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

5.57

81.69%

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

Last update for Esmeraldas: October 13, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Esmeraldas

$196 24.8%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 36.7% $72

Accommodation & Living

Esmeraldas

$186 23.5%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 148% $274

Clothing & Footwear

Esmeraldas

$154 19.6%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 19.7% $30

Eating Out

Esmeraldas

$109 13.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 11% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Esmeraldas

$75 9.5%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 70.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Esmeraldas

$44 5.5%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 54.9% $24

Getting Around

Esmeraldas

$25 3.2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 56.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Esmeraldas and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $54.0 in Esmeraldas vs $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $196 vs $268, with Esmeraldas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Esmeraldas

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

14:06 2:06 PM

12 h ahead of Esmeraldas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,216

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Esmeraldas Phuket 19,010 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Esmeraldas
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

Esmeraldas vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esmeraldas is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Phuket. 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: $297 in Esmeraldas versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Esmeraldas – a meal for two runs $54.0 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $789 in Esmeraldas versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Esmeraldas but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Esmeraldas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Esmeraldas is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Esmeraldas and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Esmeraldas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.