Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maia and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,182 per month in Maia vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Maia $2,182
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $2,718 per month in Maia vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Maia $2,718
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $3,254 per month in Maia vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Maia $3,254
Phuket $2,845

Maia costs about 81% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Maia sits 61% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.42 €10.16

$4.40 ฿147

159.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 €44.49

$32.26 ฿1,078

55.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 €7.90

$8.76 ฿293

1.37%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$2.83 ฿94.5

-29.33%

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

$1.93 €1.71

$0.90 ฿30.14

114.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.47 ฿15.56

208.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.55 ฿85.2

-12.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.57

$3.83 ฿128

4.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.73 ฿57.7

-36.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.47 ฿49.11

14.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.51 ฿50.6

1.32%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$2.17 ฿72.7

33.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$19.70 ฿658

-32.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 €7.05

$3.34 ฿112

137.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 €13.10

$11.16 ฿373

31.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.85 ฿95.1

-21.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.70 ฿56.9

2.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$2.19 ฿73.3

-5.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$2.05 ฿68.4

13.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.45 ฿48.57

53.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.38 ฿46.16

58.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.82

$1.07 ฿35.69

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.51 ฿16.91

115.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.89

$4.26 ฿142

55.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$18.58 ฿621

-75.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.78 ฿59.7

-26.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.85 ฿95.2

-13.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.26 ฿75.6

9.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.74 €39.80

$22.10 ฿738

102.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.04

$3.01 ฿101

51.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.06 ฿35.34

35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.93 €15.06

$3.86 ฿129

338.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.45 ฿48.45

44.83%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

22.52%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

42.80%

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

$106 €94.3

$96.4 ฿3,221

10.03%

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

$20.07 €17.85

$11.04 ฿369

81.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.05 €33.84

$17.14 ฿573

122.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 €39.93

$52.2 ฿1,744

-13.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 €30.25

$11.16 ฿373

204.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 €7.70

$7.81 ฿261

10.76%

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

$439 €390

$556 ฿18.6K

-21.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,437 €5,726

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-44.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$64.2 ฿2,146

73.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.04 €19.60

$28.69 ฿959

-23.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 €67.5

$95.4 ฿3,187

-20.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.0

$88.0 ฿2,940

20.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 €953

$737 ฿24.6K

45.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 €1,168

$462 ฿15.5K

184.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 €1,518

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-18.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,105

$1,201 ฿40.1K

3.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,036 €2,701

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-12.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,673 €1,488

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-33.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 €1,263

$501 ฿16.7K

183.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

5.57

-33.57%

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

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maia

$1.3K 60.2%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 64.8% $851

Groceries & Markets

Maia

$259 11.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 3.6% $9.3

Eating Out

Maia

$175 8%

Phuket

$121 10% 30.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maia

$164 7.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 24.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Maia

$142 6.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 12.2% $17

Getting Around

Maia

$66 3%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 40.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Maia

$62 2.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 9% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,072 in Maia versus $737 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 184% higher in Maia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Maia versus $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Maia vs $269 in Phuket – so Maia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Maia

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

03:03 3:03 AM

6 h ahead of Maia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,988

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

Maia Phuket 10,820 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Maia
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

Maia vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maia costs about 81% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,273 per month in Maia and $1,813 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Maia and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,182 in Maia and $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 81%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,208, than in Maia at $2,182. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,208 versus $2,182 in Maia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.