Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Galapagos Islands and Phuket

Name: Phuket
Address: Phuket, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in the Galapagos Islands: $884 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in the Galapagos Islands
Learn more

Galapagos Islands Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Galapagos Islands

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$884

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $884 per month in the Galapagos Islands vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Galapagos Islands $884
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,336 per month in the Galapagos Islands vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Galapagos Islands $1,336
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,789 per month in the Galapagos Islands vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Galapagos Islands $1,789
Phuket $3,154

Galapagos Islands is about 31% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Galapagos Islands and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Galapagos Islands 35% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.54 $3.54

$4.47 ฿151

-20.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.52 $27.52

$32.41 ฿1,092

-15.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.27 $7.27

$8.81 ฿297

-17.48%

Cappuccino

$2.50 $2.50

$2.83 ฿95.3

-11.66%

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

$0.85 $0.85

$0.87 ฿29.37

-2.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 $0.66

$0.49 ฿16.64

34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 $2.04

$2.56 ฿86.2

-20.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 $3.54

$3.68 ฿124

-3.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 $1.09

$1.66 ฿55.9

-34.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.46 ฿49.25

10.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.50 ฿50.4

4.67%

Eggs

$2.17 $2.17

$2.09 ฿70.4

3.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.42 $5.42

$19.07 ฿642

-71.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 $5.55

$3.30 ฿111

68.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$10.91 ฿368

-43.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$2.93 ฿98.7

-31.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 $1.16

$1.69 ฿56.9

-31.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.25 ฿75.7

-52.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 $1.07

$2.08 ฿70.0

-48.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.51 ฿50.9

-3.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$1.38 ฿46.47

-25.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.07 ฿35.91

-52.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.52 ฿17.49

90.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.86 $5.86

$4.20 ฿142

39.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.92 $9.92

$18.79 ฿633

-47.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 $1.51

$1.82 ฿61.4

-17.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.84 ฿95.7

-10.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 $0.37

$1.45 ฿48.93

-74.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.14 $24.14

$56.7 ฿1,909

-57.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.48 $1.48

$3.02 ฿102

-50.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.02 ฿34.29

-0.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.92 $9.92

$3.69 ฿124

168.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.66 $0.66

$1.47 ฿49.70

-55.10%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-5.56%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

6.36%

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

$39.48 $39.48

$96.4 ฿3,247

-59.02%

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

$13.57 $13.57

$11.26 ฿380

20.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.19 $31.19

$16.85 ฿568

85.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.46 $29.46

$67.2 ฿2,266

-56.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 $14.80

$10.73 ฿361

37.93%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 $7.18

$7.50 ฿253

-4.27%

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

$253 $253

$476 ฿16.0K

-46.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,750 $5,750

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-48.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 $55.7

$62.4 ฿2,102

-10.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.02 $43.02

$28.41 ฿957

51.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 $98.0

$94.3 ฿3,178

3.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 $75.9

$85.8 ฿2,892

-11.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$340 $340

$716 ฿24.1K

-52.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 $314

$491 ฿16.5K

-36.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 $633

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-67.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 $499

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-65.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,218 $1,218

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-70.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$998 $998

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-67.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

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

Last update for the Galapagos Islands: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galapagos Islands

$314 35.5%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 56.6% $177

Groceries & Markets

Galapagos Islands

$184 20.9%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 44.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Galapagos Islands

$123 13.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 0.6% $0.8

Eating Out

Galapagos Islands

$103 11.7%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 17.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galapagos Islands

$84 9.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 47.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Galapagos Islands

$44 5%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 87.7% $38

Getting Around

Galapagos Islands

$32 3.6%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 120% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $340 in the Galapagos Islands versus $716 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 $28 in the Galapagos Islands versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $184 vs $266 – making Galapagos Islands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Galapagos Islands

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

13 h ahead of the Galapagos Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,000

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 3, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Galapagos Islands Phuket 18,720 km ≈ 24 h nonstop flight

From you

Galapagos Islands
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

Galapagos Islands vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $884 in the Galapagos Islands, $1,278 in Phuket – Galapagos Islands comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,326 per month in the Galapagos Islands and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in the Galapagos Islands, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $716 in Phuket.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Phuket, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in the Galapagos Islands and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in the Galapagos Islands, where all-in costs run around $884, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Galapagos Islands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward the Galapagos Islands – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Galapagos Islands is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 31% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.