Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,265 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
Learn more

Madrid Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,265

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,265 in Madrid versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Madrid $2,265
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,311 in Madrid versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Madrid $3,311
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,356 in Madrid versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Madrid $4,356
Phuket $2,845

Living in Madrid is roughly 87% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Madrid is 67% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.06 €16.06

$4.40 ฿147

310.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.2

$32.26 ฿1,078

106.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.14

$8.76 ฿293

30.14%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.69

$2.83 ฿94.5

7.07%

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

$3.25 €2.89

$0.90 ฿30.14

261.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.47 ฿15.56

393.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 €3.42

$2.55 ฿85.2

50.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.29

$3.83 ฿128

25.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.73 ฿57.7

-23.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.47 ฿49.11

9.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.51 ฿50.6

15.89%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.17 ฿72.7

87.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.34 €14.54

$19.70 ฿658

-17.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.55

$3.34 ฿112

187.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.43 €15.50

$11.16 ฿373

56.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.85 ฿95.1

-7.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.93

$1.70 ฿56.9

28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.19 ฿73.3

14.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.05 ฿68.4

26.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.45 ฿48.57

55.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.38 ฿46.16

50.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.07 ฿35.69

45.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.51 ฿16.91

111.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.70 €5.96

$4.26 ฿142

57.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 €6.95

$18.58 ฿621

-57.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$1.78 ฿59.7

-31.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.85 ฿95.2

-21.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$2.26 ฿75.6

-27.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.72 €33.56

$22.10 ฿738

70.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.01 ฿101

26.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.06 ฿35.34

40.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.99 €26.68

$3.86 ฿129

676.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.45 ฿48.45

23.45%

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

$33.7K €29.9K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

27.81%

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

$33.3K €29.6K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

23.43%

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

$190 €169

$96.4 ฿3,221

97.43%

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

$17.57 €15.63

$11.04 ฿369

59.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.34 €31.43

$17.14 ฿573

106.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 €44.04

$52.2 ฿1,744

-5.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.20 €16.19

$11.16 ฿373

63.08%

Cinema Ticket

$11.09 €9.87

$7.81 ฿261

42.00%

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

$684 €609

$556 ฿18.6K

23.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.2K €16.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

57.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 €78.1

$64.2 ฿2,146

36.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.06 €37.41

$28.69 ฿959

46.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.3

$95.4 ฿3,187

15.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$88.0 ฿2,940

28.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,509 €1,342

$737 ฿24.6K

104.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,162 €1,034

$462 ฿15.5K

151.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,804 €2,494

$2,095 ฿70.0K

33.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 €1,661

$1,201 ฿40.1K

55.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,017 €8,021

$3,488 ฿116.6K

158.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,294 €3,819

$2,523 ฿84.3K

70.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,495 €2,219

$501 ฿16.7K

398.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

5.57

-43.63%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 51.3%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 60.2% $700

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$308 13.6%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 12.7% $39

Eating Out

Madrid

$266 11.8%

Phuket

$121 10% 54.5% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$243 10.7%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 48.8% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$159 7%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 21.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$72 3.2%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 5.5% $3.9

Getting Around

Madrid

$56 2.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 28.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,509 in Madrid and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 398% 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: $66.0 in Madrid vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $269 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:17 5:17 AM

10:17 10:17 AM

5 h ahead of Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madrid Phuket 10,450 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
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

Madrid vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 87% lower than in Madrid. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 398% higher in Madrid, 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: $1,509 in Madrid versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $66.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $2,265 in Madrid, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Madrid. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid 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 87% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.