Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Lisbon $2,202
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Lisbon $3,274
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Lisbon $4,346
Phuket $2,845

Living in Lisbon is roughly 82% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$4.40 ฿147

287.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$32.26 ฿1,078

93.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$8.76 ฿293

25.80%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.83 ฿94.5

10.25%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.90 ฿30.14

152.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.47 ฿15.56

270.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.55 ฿85.2

34.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.83 ฿128

-2.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.73 ฿57.7

-32.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.47 ฿49.11

26.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.51 ฿50.6

1.99%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.17 ฿72.7

87.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$19.70 ฿658

-34.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$3.34 ฿112

136.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$11.16 ฿373

58.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.85 ฿95.1

-20.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.70 ฿56.9

2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.19 ฿73.3

-13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.05 ฿68.4

24.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.45 ฿48.57

27.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.38 ฿46.16

42.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.07 ฿35.69

35.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.51 ฿16.91

50.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.26 ฿142

57.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$18.58 ฿621

-69.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.78 ฿59.7

-23.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.85 ฿95.2

-25.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.26 ฿75.6

2.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$22.10 ฿738

101.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.01 ฿101

31.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.06 ฿35.34

-0.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$3.86 ฿129

344.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.45 ฿48.45

51.03%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

28.31%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

42.02%

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

$164 €146

$96.4 ฿3,221

69.96%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$11.04 ฿369

67.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$17.14 ฿573

92.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$52.2 ฿1,744

-12.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$11.16 ฿373

67.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$7.81 ฿261

24.84%

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

$684 €608

$556 ฿18.6K

23.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

52.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$64.2 ฿2,146

61.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$28.69 ฿959

61.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$95.4 ฿3,187

4.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$88.0 ฿2,940

41.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$737 ฿24.6K

115.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$462 ฿15.5K

152.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$2,095 ฿70.0K

36.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$1,201 ฿40.1K

65.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$3,488 ฿116.6K

123.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,523 ฿84.3K

75.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$501 ฿16.7K

219.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.57

-30.88%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 60.5% $707

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 1.6% $4.4

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Phuket

$121 10% 51% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 42.1% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 26.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 3.7% $2.4

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 37.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 220% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

21:19 9:19 PM

6 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Phuket 10,950 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Phuket differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 220% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this 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, Lisbon 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 Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 82% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.