Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Las Terrenas and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Las Terrenas: $873 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Las Terrenas
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Las Terrenas Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Las Terrenas

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$873

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $873 in Las Terrenas versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Las Terrenas $873
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,839 in Las Terrenas versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Las Terrenas $1,839
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,804 in Las Terrenas versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Las Terrenas $2,804
Phuket $3,154

Living in Las Terrenas costs roughly 32% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Las Terrenas 36% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.14 DOP 492

$4.47 ฿151

82.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.74 DOP 2,461

$32.41 ฿1,093

25.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.90 DOP 296

$8.81 ฿297

-44.38%

Cappuccino

$1.02 DOP 61.8

$2.83 ฿95.4

-63.96%

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

$0.67 DOP 40.27

$0.87 ฿29.41

-22.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 DOP 24.67

$0.49 ฿16.65

-16.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 DOP 151

$2.56 ฿86.3

-2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 DOP 234

$3.68 ฿124

5.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 DOP 61.9

$1.66 ฿55.9

-38.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 DOP 68.0

$1.46 ฿49.31

-22.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 DOP 64.9

$1.50 ฿50.5

-28.67%

Eggs

$1.19 DOP 71.7

$2.09 ฿70.5

-43.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.34 DOP 383

$19.07 ฿643

-66.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 DOP 218

$3.30 ฿111

9.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.76 DOP 288

$10.91 ฿368

-56.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 DOP 132

$2.93 ฿98.9

-25.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 DOP 38.63

$1.69 ฿57.0

-62.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 DOP 132

$2.25 ฿75.8

-2.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 DOP 130

$2.08 ฿70.0

3.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 DOP 131

$1.51 ฿51.0

43.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 DOP 67.6

$1.38 ฿46.52

-18.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 DOP 53.6

$1.07 ฿35.96

-16.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 DOP 59.5

$0.52 ฿17.51

88.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 DOP 290

$4.20 ฿142

14.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.03 DOP 424

$18.79 ฿634

-62.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 DOP 137

$1.82 ฿61.5

24.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 DOP 124

$2.84 ฿95.8

-27.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 DOP 150

$3.02 ฿102

-17.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 DOP 201

$1.02 ฿34.33

226.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 DOP 71.6

$1.47 ฿49.76

-19.73%

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

$19.8K DOP 1.2M

$26.8K ฿903.4K

-26.14%

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

$24.3K DOP 1.5M

$26.7K ฿900.5K

-8.97%

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

$49.08 DOP 2,966

$96.4 ฿3,251

-49.06%

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

$10.03 DOP 606

$11.26 ฿380

-10.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.83 DOP 1,198

$16.85 ฿568

17.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 DOP 298

$7.50 ฿253

-34.13%

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

$98.0 DOP 5,923

$476 ฿16.1K

-79.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,487 DOP 331.5K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

-51.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 DOP 1,633

$62.4 ฿2,104

-56.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.64 DOP 2,697

$28.41 ฿958

57.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.2 DOP 3,698

$94.3 ฿3,181

-35.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.7 DOP 3,967

$85.8 ฿2,895

-23.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 DOP 47.7K

$716 ฿24.2K

10.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 DOP 23.5K

$491 ฿16.6K

-20.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 DOP 100.6K

$1,927 ฿65.0K

-13.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 DOP 99.1K

$1,431 ฿48.3K

14.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,780 DOP 107.6K

$4,175 ฿140.9K

-57.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$393 DOP 23.7K

$502 ฿16.9K

-21.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Las Terrenas: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Las Terrenas

$389 44.6%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 26.2% $102

Groceries & Markets

Las Terrenas

$170 19.5%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 56.8% $96

Eating Out

Las Terrenas

$117 13.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 4.4% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Las Terrenas

$89 10.2%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 36.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Las Terrenas

$79 9.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 57.7% $46

Getting Around

Las Terrenas

$19 * 2.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 269% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Las Terrenas

$9.9 * 1.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 733% $72

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 $789 in Las Terrenas and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 28% 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: $41 in Las Terrenas vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $170 vs $266, with Las Terrenas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Las Terrenas

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

00:03 12:03 AM

11 h ahead of Las Terrenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,713

79,308

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.66 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 60.42 DOP (100 DOP = 1.66 USD). 1 EUR = 67.46 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 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).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Las Terrenas Phuket 16,710 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Las Terrenas
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

Las Terrenas vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Las Terrenas wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Las Terrenas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Las Terrenas. 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: $789 in Las Terrenas versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $98 in Las Terrenas versus $476 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $41 in Las Terrenas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Las Terrenas 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.

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