Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madeira and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $1,599 in Madeira, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
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Madeira Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,599

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,599 in Madeira versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Madeira $1,599
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,361 in Madeira versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Madeira $2,361
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,124 in Madeira versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Madeira $3,124
Phuket $3,154

Living in Madeira is roughly 25% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Madeira is 17% above, Phuket is 6% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.47 €10.30

$4.47 ฿151

156.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.16 €41.47

$32.41 ฿1,094

42.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 €8.29

$8.81 ฿297

4.77%

Cappuccino

$2.06 €1.85

$2.83 ฿95.5

-27.21%

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

$1.86 €1.67

$0.87 ฿29.43

113.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.26

$0.49 ฿16.67

185.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.56 ฿86.4

-11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.55 €3.19

$3.68 ฿124

-3.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.66 ฿56.0

-33.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.37

$1.46 ฿49.35

4.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.50 ฿50.6

7.33%

Eggs

$3.02 €2.71

$2.09 ฿70.5

44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 €10.06

$19.07 ฿644

-41.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 €6.92

$3.30 ฿111

133.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.02 €12.60

$10.91 ฿368

28.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.93 ฿99.0

-19.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.69 ฿57.1

-16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.67

$2.25 ฿75.8

-17.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.25

$2.08 ฿70.1

20.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.37

$1.51 ฿51.0

0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.38 ฿46.56

40.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.07 ฿35.99

45.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.75

$0.52 ฿17.52

59.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 €5.52

$4.20 ฿142

46.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 €4.80

$18.79 ฿634

-71.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.12

$1.82 ฿61.5

-31.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.16

$2.84 ฿95.9

-15.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 €2.04

$1.45 ฿49.03

56.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.12 €37.83

$56.7 ฿1,913

-25.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 €3.71

$3.02 ฿102

36.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.73

$1.02 ฿34.36

-20.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.47 €15.69

$3.69 ฿125

373.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.47 ฿49.81

29.93%

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

$34.7K €31.2K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

29.61%

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

$39.2K €35.2K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

46.82%

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

$137 €123

$96.4 ฿3,254

42.54%

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

$21.23 €19.07

$11.26 ฿380

88.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.41 €37.19

$16.85 ฿569

145.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.27 €39.77

$67.2 ฿2,270

-34.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.51 €15.73

$10.73 ฿362

63.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 €7.32

$7.50 ฿253

8.67%

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

$476 €428

$476 ฿16.1K

0.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,168 €7,337

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-27.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €65.1

$62.4 ฿2,106

16.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.12 €34.24

$28.41 ฿959

34.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 €83.0

$94.3 ฿3,184

-2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.9 €84.4

$85.8 ฿2,898

9.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 €817

$716 ฿24.2K

27.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €651

$491 ฿16.6K

47.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 €1,316

$1,927 ฿65.1K

-23.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 €1,059

$1,431 ฿48.3K

-17.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,005 €2,700

$4,175 ฿141.0K

-28.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,314 €2,079

$3,045 ฿102.8K

-24.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

5.57

-10.05%

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

Last update for Madeira: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madeira

$725 45.3%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 32.2% $234

Groceries & Markets

Madeira

$246 15.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 8.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madeira

$200 12.5%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 37.8% $76

Eating Out

Madeira

$176 11%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 30.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Madeira

$134 8.4%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 8.8% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Madeira

$61 3.8%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 35.8% $22

Getting Around

Madeira

$59 3.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 18.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $910 in Madeira and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46 in Madeira vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $246 vs $266, with Madeira cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Madeira

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

23:05 11:05 PM

7 h ahead of Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Madeira Phuket 11,830 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Madeira
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

Madeira vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,399 in Madeira and $1,917 in Phuket to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $910 in Madeira versus $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,599 per month in Madeira versus $1,278 in Phuket – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Madeira runs roughly 26% less than in Phuket. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $1,278 in Phuket versus $1,599 in Madeira, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Madeira. 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, Madeira 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.