Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merida, Venezuela and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Merida: $814 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Phuket outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in Merida
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Merida Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Merida

🇻🇪 Venezuela

$814

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $814 per month in Merida vs $1,294 in Phuket, rent included.

Merida $814
Phuket $1,294

A couple spends around $1,415 per month in Merida vs $2,204 in Phuket, rent included.

Merida $1,415
Phuket $2,204

A family of three spends $2,015 per month in Merida vs $3,115 in Phuket, rent included.

Merida $2,015
Phuket $3,115

Merida is about 37% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Merida and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Merida 40% lower, Phuket 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.12 VES 10.8K

$4.39 ฿147

176.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.9 VES 52.6K

$32.31 ฿1,078

82.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 VES 9,947

$8.70 ฿290

28.05%

Cappuccino

$2.44 VES 2,180

$2.72 ฿90.9

-10.29%

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

$2.14 VES 1,906

$0.93 ฿31.06

130.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 VES 1,167

$0.50 ฿16.67

162.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 VES 1,819

$2.53 ฿84.5

-19.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 VES 2,647

$3.63 ฿121

-18.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 VES 1,826

$1.74 ฿58.1

17.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.26 VES 2,906

$1.45 ฿48.42

124.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 VES 1,716

$1.50 ฿50.1

28.00%

Eggs

$2.50 VES 2,236

$2.17 ฿72.5

15.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.78 VES 6,049

$19.09 ฿637

-64.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.84 VES 7,001

$3.40 ฿113

130.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 VES 6,786

$10.90 ฿364

-30.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.02 VES 4,484

$2.94 ฿98.2

70.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 VES 1,249

$1.69 ฿56.5

-17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 VES 2,502

$2.19 ฿73.2

27.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 VES 2,027

$2.12 ฿70.9

7.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 VES 1,840

$1.46 ฿48.68

41.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 VES 1,171

$1.37 ฿45.66

-4.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 VES 1,337

$1.08 ฿35.91

38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 VES 2,254

$0.55 ฿18.21

360.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 VES 3,313

$4.43 ฿148

-16.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.91 VES 9,743

$18.25 ฿609

-40.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 VES 1,250

$1.77 ฿59.2

-20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 VES 1,967

$2.88 ฿96.2

-23.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 VES 281

$1.45 ฿48.32

-78.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,832

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 VES 3,670

$1.51 ฿50.5

172.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 VES 1,361

$0.78 ฿25.90

94.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.93 VES 5,290

$3.84 ฿128

54.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.73 VES 652

$1.49 ฿49.65

-51.01%

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

$44.6K VES 39.8M

$26.9K ฿897.3K

65.92%

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

$49.2K VES 43.9M

$26.3K ฿879.4K

86.80%

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

$12.43 VES 11.1K

$97.8 ฿3,265

-87.29%

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

$10.35 VES 9,235

$11.29 ฿377

-8.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 VES 26.9K

$17.19 ฿574

75.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.77 VES 26.6K

$68.3 ฿2,281

-56.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 VES 13.5K

$10.92 ฿365

38.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 VES 4,429

$7.43 ฿248

-33.24%

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

$87.0 VES 77.7K

$530 ฿17.7K

-83.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,440 VES 2.2M

$18.8K ฿626.9K

-87.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.6 VES 66.6K

$61.7 ฿2,059

20.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.01 VES 37.5K

$28.25 ฿943

48.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 VES 88.0K

$96.0 ฿3,204

2.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 VES 86.0K

$86.8 ฿2,898

10.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 VES 121.1K

$721 ฿24.1K

-81.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.5 VES 81.7K

$509 ฿17.0K

-82.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 VES 198.1K

$1,950 ฿65.1K

-88.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 VES 171.5K

$1,397 ฿46.6K

-86.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,192 VES 1.1M

$4,192 ฿139.9K

-71.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,216 VES 1.1M

$3,298 ฿110.1K

-63.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$286 VES 255.3K

$492 ฿16.4K

-41.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

348.83%

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

Last update for Merida: November 1, 2026

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Merida

$287 35.3%

Phuket

$267 20.6% 7.2% $21

Eating Out

Merida

$190 23.3%

Phuket

$120 9.2% 36.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Merida

$140 17.2%

Phuket

$123 9.5% 12.4% $17

Accommodation & Living

Merida

$91 11.2%

Phuket

$509 39.3% 456% $417

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merida

$53 6.5%

Phuket

$126 9.8% 139% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Merida

$40 4.9%

Phuket

$83 6.4% 110% $43

Getting Around

Merida

$13 * 1.6%

Phuket

$66 5.1% 409% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $136 in Merida versus $721 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 72% higher in Phuket. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Merida versus $32 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $267 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇪 Merida

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

02:19 2:19 AM

11 h ahead of Merida

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

250,303

79,308

💱 Currency

Venezuelan Bolívar VES Bs.S

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 VES = 11.2 USD

10,000 VES = 9.97 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VES – Venezuelan Bolívar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇪 Venezuelan Bolívar (Bs.S)

Venezuelan Bolívar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 893 VES (1,000 VES = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 1,003 VES (10,000 VES = 9.97 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.51 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to VES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Merida Phuket 17,850 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Merida
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

Merida vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 59% more than Merida, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,221 per month in Merida and $1,940 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merida, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $721 in Phuket.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $814 in Merida and $1,294 in Phuket. That makes Merida about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $87 per month in Merida and $530 in Phuket. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $814 in Merida and $1,294 in Phuket. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Merida – 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 Merida. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.