Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Higuey and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Higuey: $912 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Higuey
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Higuey Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Higuey

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$912

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $912 in Higuey versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Higuey $912
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,495 in Higuey versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Higuey $1,495
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,078 in Higuey versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Higuey $2,078
Phuket $3,154

Living in Higuey costs roughly 29% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Higuey 33% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.75 DOP 586

$4.47 ฿151

118.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 DOP 3,006

$32.41 ฿1,092

54.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 DOP 448

$8.81 ฿297

-15.32%

Cappuccino

$1.99 DOP 120

$2.83 ฿95.3

-29.68%

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

$1.04 DOP 62.6

$0.87 ฿29.37

19.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 DOP 30.58

$0.49 ฿16.64

4.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 DOP 151

$2.56 ฿86.2

-1.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 DOP 191

$3.68 ฿124

-13.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 DOP 71.7

$1.66 ฿55.9

-28.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 DOP 94.4

$1.46 ฿49.25

7.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 DOP 81.2

$1.50 ฿50.4

-10.00%

Eggs

$1.95 DOP 117

$2.09 ฿70.4

-6.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 DOP 438

$19.07 ฿642

-61.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 DOP 318

$3.30 ฿111

60.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.56 DOP 394

$10.91 ฿368

-39.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 DOP 180

$2.93 ฿98.7

2.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 DOP 42.27

$1.69 ฿56.9

-58.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 DOP 87.4

$2.25 ฿75.7

-35.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 DOP 77.5

$2.08 ฿70.0

-37.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 DOP 69.6

$1.51 ฿50.9

-23.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 DOP 66.9

$1.38 ฿46.47

-19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 DOP 35.31

$1.07 ฿35.91

-44.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 DOP 28.40

$0.52 ฿17.49

-9.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.38 DOP 323

$4.20 ฿142

28.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 DOP 608

$18.79 ฿633

-46.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 DOP 146

$1.82 ฿61.4

32.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 DOP 172

$2.84 ฿95.7

1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 DOP 48.42

$1.45 ฿48.93

-44.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.72 DOP 2,987

$56.7 ฿1,909

-12.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 DOP 199

$3.02 ฿102

9.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 DOP 136

$1.02 ฿34.29

121.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 DOP 351

$3.69 ฿124

58.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 DOP 81.9

$1.47 ฿49.70

-7.48%

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

$24.8K DOP 1.5M

$26.8K ฿902.4K

-7.41%

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

$30.7K DOP 1.8M

$26.7K ฿899.5K

15.05%

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

$90.5 DOP 5,435

$96.4 ฿3,247

-6.10%

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

$16.40 DOP 985

$11.26 ฿380

45.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.65 DOP 1,962

$16.85 ฿568

93.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.74 DOP 1,486

$67.2 ฿2,266

-63.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$65.4 DOP 3,928

$10.73 ฿361

509.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.38 DOP 443

$7.50 ฿253

-1.60%

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

$98.6 DOP 5,925

$476 ฿16.0K

-79.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,173 DOP 130.6K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-80.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.71 DOP 2,686

$62.4 ฿2,102

-28.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.17 DOP 2,714

$28.41 ฿957

58.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.2 DOP 5,179

$94.3 ฿3,178

-8.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 DOP 4,781

$85.8 ฿2,892

-7.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 DOP 17.3K

$716 ฿24.1K

-59.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 DOP 12.6K

$491 ฿16.5K

-57.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$566 DOP 34.0K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-70.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 DOP 24.1K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-71.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,809 DOP 108.7K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-56.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,240 DOP 74.5K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-59.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$434 DOP 26.1K

$502 ฿16.9K

-13.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

5.57

106.46%

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

Last update for Higuey: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Higuey

$209 22.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 135% $282

Groceries & Markets

Higuey

$192 21.1%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 38.6% $74

Eating Out

Higuey

$149 16.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 18.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Higuey

$140 15.3%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 10.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Higuey

$115 12.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 5.9% $6.8

Getting Around

Higuey

$68 7.4%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 4.5% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Higuey

$40 4.3%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 108% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $289 in Higuey and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 16% 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: $50 in Higuey vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $266, with Higuey cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Higuey

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

16:23 4:23 PM

11 h ahead of Higuey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,787

79,308

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.49 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 60.08 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.49 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Higuey Phuket 16,750 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Higuey
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

Higuey vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Higuey is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Higuey. 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: $289 in Higuey versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $912 per month in Higuey versus $1,278 in Phuket – Higuey is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Higuey runs roughly 12% less than in Phuket. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Higuey and Phuket are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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