Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fajardo and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Fajardo: $1,241 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $440 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

60

Cost of Living Index in Fajardo
Learn more

Fajardo Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Fajardo

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico

$1,241

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,241 in Fajardo versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Fajardo $1,241
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,954 in Fajardo versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Fajardo $1,954
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,667 in Fajardo versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Fajardo $2,667
Phuket $3,154

Living in Fajardo costs roughly 3% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Fajardo 9% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.80 $9.80

$4.47 ฿151

119.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.1 $82.1

$32.41 ฿1,093

153.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.44 $9.44

$8.81 ฿297

7.15%

Cappuccino

$3.66 $3.66

$2.83 ฿95.4

29.33%

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

$1.93 $1.93

$0.87 ฿29.41

121.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$0.49 ฿16.65

208.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.97 $2.97

$2.56 ฿86.3

16.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 $5.11

$3.68 ฿124

38.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 $2.11

$1.66 ฿55.9

27.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.69 $3.69

$1.46 ฿49.31

152.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 $2.45

$1.50 ฿50.5

63.33%

Eggs

$7.46 $7.46

$2.09 ฿70.5

256.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.35 $12.35

$19.07 ฿643

-35.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.45 $9.45

$3.30 ฿111

186.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.26 $13.26

$10.91 ฿368

21.54%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 $5.09

$2.93 ฿98.9

73.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.69 ฿57.0

52.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$2.25 ฿75.8

111.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 $4.70

$2.08 ฿70.0

125.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 $3.71

$1.51 ฿51.0

145.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.91 $3.91

$1.38 ฿46.52

183.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.40 $3.40

$1.07 ฿35.96

217.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 $1.61

$0.52 ฿17.51

209.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.33 $11.33

$4.20 ฿142

169.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.50 $15.50

$18.79 ฿634

-17.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.82 ฿61.5

69.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 $4.04

$2.84 ฿95.8

42.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.02 ฿102

-18.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 $1.52

$1.02 ฿34.33

49.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.58 $41.58

$3.69 ฿125

1026.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.47 ฿49.76

-15.65%

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

$34.6K $34.6K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

29.19%

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

$28.3K $28.3K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

6.01%

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

$316 $316

$96.4 ฿3,251

228.13%

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

$70.6 $70.6

$11.26 ฿380

526.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.0 $70.0

$16.85 ฿568

315.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$10.47 $10.47

$7.50 ฿253

39.60%

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

$835 $835

$476 ฿16.1K

75.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K $12.6K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

11.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 $55.5

$62.4 ฿2,104

-10.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.8 $61.8

$28.41 ฿958

117.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 $107

$94.3 ฿3,181

13.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$85.8 ฿2,895

33.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,007 $1,007

$716 ฿24.2K

40.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

5.57

17.59%

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

Last update for Fajardo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fajardo

$457 36.8%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 72.7% $332

Groceries & Markets

Fajardo

$412 33.2%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 35.3% $145

Eating Out

Fajardo

$189 15.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 35.8% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Fajardo

$152 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 20.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Fajardo

$21 * 1.7%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 293% $61

Getting Around

Fajardo

$10 * 0.8%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 602% $61

Accommodation & Living

Fajardo

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

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 $1,007 in Fajardo and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82 in Fajardo vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $412 vs $266 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇷 Fajardo

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

03:17 3:17 AM

11 h ahead of Fajardo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,647

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Fajardo Phuket 16,620 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Fajardo
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

Fajardo vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fajardo wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Fajardo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,862 in Fajardo and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,007 in Fajardo versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Phuket pay roughly 35% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,241 per month in Fajardo versus $1,278 in Phuket – Fajardo is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Fajardo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.