Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Masaya and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Masaya: $823 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Masaya
Learn more

Masaya Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Masaya

🇳🇮 Nicaragua

$823

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $823 per month in Masaya vs $1,278 in Phuket, rent included.

Masaya $823
Phuket $1,278

A couple spends around $1,283 per month in Masaya vs $2,216 in Phuket, rent included.

Masaya $1,283
Phuket $2,216

A family of three spends $1,744 per month in Masaya vs $3,154 in Phuket, rent included.

Masaya $1,744
Phuket $3,154

Masaya is about 36% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Masaya and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Masaya 40% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.92 NIO 363

$4.47 ฿151

121.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.43 NIO 1,261

$32.41 ฿1,094

6.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 NIO 283

$8.81 ฿297

-12.26%

Cappuccino

$2.54 NIO 93.0

$2.83 ฿95.5

-10.25%

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

$0.91 NIO 33.22

$0.87 ฿29.43

4.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 NIO 26.84

$0.49 ฿16.67

48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 NIO 56.0

$2.56 ฿86.4

-40.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 NIO 83.6

$3.68 ฿124

-38.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 NIO 44.66

$1.66 ฿56.0

-26.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 NIO 87.8

$1.46 ฿49.35

64.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 NIO 65.8

$1.50 ฿50.6

20.00%

Eggs

$2.38 NIO 87.3

$2.09 ฿70.5

13.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.43 NIO 419

$19.07 ฿644

-40.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 NIO 233

$3.30 ฿111

92.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.68 NIO 281

$10.91 ฿368

-29.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.95 NIO 145

$2.93 ฿99.0

34.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 NIO 21.03

$1.69 ฿57.1

-66.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 NIO 67.3

$2.25 ฿75.8

-18.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.51 NIO 92.0

$2.08 ฿70.1

20.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.91 NIO 143

$1.51 ฿51.0

158.94%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 NIO 82.0

$1.38 ฿46.56

62.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 NIO 39.98

$1.07 ฿35.99

1.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 NIO 38.67

$0.52 ฿17.52

103.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 NIO 103

$4.20 ฿142

-33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.85 NIO 544

$18.79 ฿634

-20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 NIO 53.5

$1.82 ฿61.5

-19.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NIO 79.8

$2.84 ฿95.9

-23.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿49.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,913

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 NIO 58.7

$3.02 ฿102

-47.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 NIO 58.2

$1.02 ฿34.36

55.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.85 NIO 251

$3.69 ฿125

85.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 NIO 50.5

$1.47 ฿49.81

-6.12%

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

$22.7K NIO 832.1K

$26.8K ฿904.3K

-15.15%

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

$26.4K NIO 966.7K

$26.7K ฿901.3K

-1.11%

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

$154 NIO 5,654

$96.4 ฿3,254

60.21%

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

$19.83 NIO 726

$11.26 ฿380

76.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.97 NIO 1,171

$16.85 ฿569

89.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,270

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 NIO 332

$7.50 ฿253

20.80%

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

$240 NIO 8,800

$476 ฿16.1K

-49.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,987 NIO 219.3K

$11.3K ฿380.4K

-46.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.7 NIO 2,184

$62.4 ฿2,106

-4.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.7 NIO 2,369

$28.41 ฿959

127.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 NIO 4,504

$94.3 ฿3,184

30.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 NIO 5,379

$85.8 ฿2,898

71.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿141.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿17.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.92

5.57

114.00%

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

Last update for Masaya: October 24, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Masaya

$260 31.6%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 2.5% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Masaya

$206 25.1%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 39.6% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Masaya

$177 21.6%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 31.3% $55

Eating Out

Masaya

$152 18.5%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 19.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Masaya

$18 * 2.2%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 354% $64

Getting Around

Masaya

$9.5 * 1.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 640% $61

Accommodation & Living

Masaya

- * 0%

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Masaya versus $32 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Masaya vs $266 in Phuket – so Masaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇮 Masaya

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

04:34 4:34 AM

13 h ahead of Masaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

178,835

79,308

💱 Currency

Nicaraguan Córdoba NIO C$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 NIO = 2.73 USD

100 NIO = 2.45 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NIO – Nicaraguan Córdoba Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇮 Nicaraguan Córdoba (C$)

Nicaraguan Córdoba exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 36.62 NIO (100 NIO = 2.73 USD). 1 EUR = 40.77 NIO (100 NIO = 2.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NIO in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Masaya Phuket 17,750 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Masaya
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

Masaya vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,234 per month in Masaya and $1,917 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Masaya and $32 in Phuket. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Masaya and $476 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Masaya, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Phuket at $1,278. In Masaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $823 in Masaya to $1,278 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.