Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marbella and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,278 a month against $2,610 in Marbella, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Marbella
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Marbella Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Marbella

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,610

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,610 per month in Marbella vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Marbella $2,610
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $4,156 per month in Marbella vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Marbella $4,156
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $5,702 per month in Marbella vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Marbella $5,702
Phuket $3,154

Marbella costs about 104% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Marbella sits 92% above the global median, while Phuket is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.06 €19.75

$4.47 ฿151

393.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.5

$32.41 ฿1,093

177.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.92 €12.46

$8.81 ฿297

58.00%

Cappuccino

$3.74 €3.35

$2.83 ฿95.4

32.16%

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

$3.27 €2.93

$0.87 ฿29.41

275.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$0.49 ฿16.65

563.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.41 €3.95

$2.56 ฿86.3

72.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.88

$3.68 ฿124

48.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.66 ฿55.9

7.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.46 ฿49.31

27.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 €1.24

$1.50 ฿50.5

-8.00%

Eggs

$4.14 €3.71

$2.09 ฿70.5

98.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.52 €12.11

$19.07 ฿643

-29.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.99 €8.05

$3.30 ฿111

172.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 €14.88

$10.91 ฿368

52.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 €3.24

$2.93 ฿98.9

23.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 €2.49

$1.69 ฿57.0

64.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.25 €3.80

$2.25 ฿75.8

88.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 €2.71

$2.08 ฿70.0

45.19%

Potato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.85

$1.51 ฿51.0

184.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$1.38 ฿46.52

136.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.07 ฿35.96

59.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.90

$0.52 ฿17.51

307.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 €5.95

$4.20 ฿142

58.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 €10.00

$18.79 ฿634

-40.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.82 ฿61.5

-15.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.60

$2.84 ฿95.8

2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.45 ฿48.98

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.30 €21.77

$56.7 ฿1,912

-57.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 €4.09

$3.02 ฿102

51.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.02 ฿34.33

122.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.27 €11.88

$3.69 ฿125

259.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.47 ฿49.76

22.45%

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

$34.7K €31.1K

$26.8K ฿903.4K

29.54%

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

$31.5K €28.2K

$26.7K ฿900.5K

18.06%

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

$164 €147

$96.4 ฿3,251

69.80%

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

$21.72 €19.45

$11.26 ฿380

92.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.89 €24.98

$16.85 ฿568

65.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.7 €53.5

$67.2 ฿2,268

-11.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.33 €29.85

$10.73 ฿362

210.62%

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 €9.06

$7.50 ฿253

34.93%

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

$1,343 €1,203

$476 ฿16.1K

182.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K €12.2K

$11.3K ฿380.0K

20.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.5

$62.4 ฿2,104

49.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 €49.19

$28.41 ฿958

93.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 €130

$94.3 ฿3,181

54.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 €149

$85.8 ฿2,895

94.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,672 €1,497

$716 ฿24.2K

133.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 €1,249

$491 ฿16.6K

184.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,329 €2,982

$1,927 ฿65.0K

72.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,802 €2,509

$1,431 ฿48.3K

95.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,678 €5,981

$4,175 ฿140.9K

59.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,289 €4,737

$3,045 ฿102.7K

73.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,080 €1,863

$502 ฿16.9K

314.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

5.57

-26.75%

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

Last update for Marbella: October 25, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marbella

$1.4K 53.4%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 64.8% $903

Groceries & Markets

Marbella

$348 13.3%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 23.5% $82

Eating Out

Marbella

$322 12.3%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 62.2% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marbella

$213 8.2%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 41.6% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Marbella

$207 7.9%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 41.2% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Marbella

$80 3.1%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 2.9% $2.3

Getting Around

Marbella

$45 1.7%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 55.4% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,672 in Marbella versus $716 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 in Marbella are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Marbella versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $266 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Marbella

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

06:09 6:09 AM

6 h ahead of Marbella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,295

79,308

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Marbella Phuket 10,650 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Marbella
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

Marbella vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,610 in Marbella, $1,278 in Phuket – Phuket comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,916 per month in Marbella and $1,917 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $716 there versus $1,672 in Marbella.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Marbella and $32 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 $2,610 in Marbella and $1,278 in Phuket. That makes Phuket about 51% cheaper.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,278, than in Marbella at $2,610. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marbella it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Phuket – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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