Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Machala and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Machala: $655 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Machala
Learn more

Machala Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Machala

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$655

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $655 in Machala versus $1,294 in Phuket.

Machala $655
Phuket $1,294

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,044 in Machala versus $2,204 in Phuket.

Machala $1,044
Phuket $2,204

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,433 in Machala versus $3,115 in Phuket.

Machala $1,433
Phuket $3,115

Living in Machala costs roughly 49% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Machala 52% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 $2.80

$4.39 ฿148

-36.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.64 $24.64

$32.31 ฿1,090

-23.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 $5.27

$8.70 ฿294

-39.43%

Cappuccino

$2.71 $2.71

$2.72 ฿91.9

-0.37%

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

$0.91 $0.91

$0.93 ฿31.39

-2.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 $0.68

$0.50 ฿16.85

36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.53 ฿85.4

-22.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.63 ฿122

6.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 $1.10

$1.74 ฿58.7

-36.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.45 ฿48.95

-27.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.50 ฿50.7

-37.33%

Eggs

$1.45 $1.45

$2.17 ฿73.3

-33.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$19.09 ฿644

-82.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 $4.20

$3.40 ฿115

23.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$10.90 ฿368

-56.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.94 ฿99.2

-50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.69 ฿57.1

-62.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 $0.72

$2.19 ฿74.0

-67.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 $0.53

$2.12 ฿71.7

-75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 $0.38

$1.46 ฿49.21

-73.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.37 ฿46.15

-62.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 $0.39

$1.08 ฿36.30

-63.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.55 ฿18.41

72.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 $4.31

$4.43 ฿149

-2.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$18.25 ฿616

-57.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.77 ฿59.8

-15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$2.88 ฿97.2

-23.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 $0.33

$1.45 ฿48.84

-77.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.17 $22.17

$54.9 ฿1,852

-59.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 $1.47

$1.51 ฿51.0

-2.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 $1.48

$0.78 ฿26.18

89.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 $7.89

$3.84 ฿130

105.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 $0.64

$1.49 ฿50.2

-57.05%

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

$18.1K $18.1K

$26.9K ฿907.0K

-32.83%

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

$21.9K $21.9K

$26.3K ฿888.9K

-16.90%

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

$52.2 $52.2

$97.8 ฿3,300

-46.66%

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

$14.95 $14.95

$11.29 ฿381

32.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.06 $26.06

$17.19 ฿580

51.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.32 $43.32

$68.3 ฿2,305

-36.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.54 $30.54

$10.92 ฿368

179.67%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 $5.03

$7.43 ฿251

-32.30%

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

$135 $135

$530 ฿17.9K

-74.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,038 $9,038

$18.8K ฿633.7K

-51.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.5 $66.5

$61.7 ฿2,081

7.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.79 $40.79

$28.25 ฿953

44.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 $79.8

$96.0 ฿3,239

-16.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.8 $67.8

$86.8 ฿2,929

-21.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$192 $192

$721 ฿24.3K

-73.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$131 $131

$509 ฿17.2K

-74.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 $354

$1,950 ฿65.8K

-81.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 $262

$1,397 ฿47.1K

-81.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$454 $454

$492 ฿16.6K

-7.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Machala: November 2, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Machala

$136 20.7%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 96.8% $131

Accommodation & Living

Machala

$131 20.1%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 287% $377

Clothing & Footwear

Machala

$115 17.5%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 7% $8

Eating Out

Machala

$95 14.4%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 26.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Machala

$93 14.2%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 35.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Machala

$53 8.2%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 55.9% $30

Getting Around

Machala

$32 4.9%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 104% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $192 in Machala and $721 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 8% 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: $25 in Machala vs $32 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $136 vs $267 per month, with Machala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Machala

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

23:02 11:02 PM

11:02 11:02 AM

12 h ahead of Machala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,260

79,308

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.894 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 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.894 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Machala Phuket 19,470 km ≈ 25 h nonstop flight

From you

Machala
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

Machala vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Machala is about 49% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Machala. 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: $192 in Machala versus $721 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Machala – a meal for two runs $25 versus $32 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $655 per month in Machala versus $1,294 in Phuket – Machala is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $655 in Machala versus $1,294 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Machala but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Machala 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.

Expats usually find Machala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.