Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palma de Mallorca and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,216 in Palma de Mallorca, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Palma de Mallorca
🇪🇸 Spain
$2,216
/mo nomad
Phuket
🇹🇭 Thailand
$1,207
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,216 in Palma de Mallorca versus $1,207 in Phuket.

  • Palma de Mallorca $2,216
  • Phuket $1,207

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,278 in Palma de Mallorca versus $2,037 in Phuket.

  • Palma de Mallorca $3,278
  • Phuket $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Palma de Mallorca versus $2,867 in Phuket.

  • Palma de Mallorca $4,341
  • Phuket $2,867

Living in Palma de Mallorca is roughly 84% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Palma de Mallorca is 64% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palma de Mallorca
Phuket
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.70 €16.63
$4.58 ฿153
308.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.8 €59.4
$32.48 ฿1,086
105.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.49 €12.00
$8.55 ฿286
57.78%
Cappuccino
$3.16 €2.81
$2.72 ฿91.0
16.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.59 €2.31
$0.94 ฿31.25
175.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 €2.34
$0.49 ฿16.39
438.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.58 €4.07
$2.59 ฿86.6
76.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.86 €3.43
$3.83 ฿128
0.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palma de Mallorca
Phuket
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.36 €1.21
$1.74 ฿58.1
-21.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.13 €1.00
$1.43 ฿47.82
-20.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 €1.43
$1.53 ฿51.0
5.23%
Eggs
$3.42 €3.04
$2.17 ฿72.7
57.60%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.75 €13.11
$19.15 ฿640
-22.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.66 €7.71
$3.30 ฿110
162.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.05 €14.28
$11.14 ฿372
44.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.52 €2.24
$2.95 ฿98.5
-14.58%
Banana (1kg)
$2.02 €1.80
$1.68 ฿56.1
20.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.67 €1.49
$2.30 ฿76.8
-27.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.81 €2.50
$2.13 ฿71.3
31.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.91 €1.69
$1.53 ฿51.1
24.84%
Onion (1kg)
$2.15 €1.92
$1.36 ฿45.55
58.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.29 €1.15
$1.12 ฿37.44
15.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 €0.61
$0.55 ฿18.24
25.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.75 €6.00
$4.26 ฿142
58.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.66 €5.04
$18.19 ฿608
-68.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 €1.22
$1.74 ฿58.2
-21.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 €1.73
$2.79 ฿93.3
-30.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Palma de Mallorca
Phuket
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.20 €1.95
$2.22 ฿74.1
-0.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.00 €36.46
$22.06 ฿737
85.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.02 €4.46
$2.91 ฿97.3
72.51%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.31 €1.16
$1.01 ฿33.79
29.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.14 €21.47
$3.83 ฿128
530.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 €1.60
$1.49 ฿49.85
20.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.9K €31.1K
$26.7K ฿891.6K
30.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.0K €27.6K
$26.7K ฿892.7K
16.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palma de Mallorca
Phuket
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$250 €222
$99.4 ฿3,321
151.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.67 €21.05
$11.28 ฿377
109.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.21 €37.54
$17.36 ฿580
143.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palma de Mallorca
Phuket
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.1 €54.4
$52.3 ฿1,747
16.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.31 €24.29
$10.85 ฿362
151.71%
Cinema Ticket
$9.56 €8.50
$7.57 ฿253
26.29%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palma de Mallorca
Phuket
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$604 €537
$558 ฿18.7K
8.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.3K €9,179
$11.5K ฿383.9K
-10.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palma de Mallorca
Phuket
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.1 €64.1
$62.9 ฿2,102
14.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.1 €48.11
$28.58 ฿955
89.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.3 €86.6
$96.1 ฿3,213
1.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131 €117
$88.1 ฿2,943
49.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palma de Mallorca
Phuket
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,494 €1,328
$729 ฿24.4K
104.78%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,048 €932
$460 ฿15.4K
127.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,340 €2,082
$2,096 ฿70.0K
11.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,787 €1,589
$1,222 ฿40.8K
46.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,823 €6,068
$3,459 ฿115.6K
97.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,787 €3,368
$2,489 ฿83.2K
52.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palma de Mallorca
Phuket
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,046 €1,820
$493 ฿16.5K
314.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.07
5.57
-44.88%

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

Last update for Palma de Mallorca: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Palma de Mallorca
$1K
Phuket
$460 56.1% $588
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palma de Mallorca
$316
Phuket
$128 59.4% $188
Eating Out
Palma de Mallorca
$280
Phuket
$121 56.6% $158
Groceries & Markets
Palma de Mallorca
$272
Phuket
$268 1.5% $4.1
Clothing & Footwear
Palma de Mallorca
$160
Phuket
$124 22.3% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Palma de Mallorca
$80
Phuket
$67 16% $13
Getting Around
Palma de Mallorca
$61
Phuket
$39 36.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,494 in Palma de Mallorca and $729 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palma de Mallorca pays 315% 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: $67.0 in Palma de Mallorca vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $268 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇸 Palma de Mallorca
🇹🇭 Phuket
🕒 Local time
19:27 7:27 PM
00:27 12:27 AM
5 h ahead of Palma de Mallorca
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
423,350
79,308
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Palma de Mallorca Phuket 9,930 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Palma de Mallorca
  • 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
Palma de Mallorca vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phuket cheaper than Palma de Mallorca?
Phuket is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 84% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Palma de Mallorca or Phuket?
Average pay runs 315% higher in Palma de Mallorca, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Palma de Mallorca and Phuket?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,494 in Palma de Mallorca versus $729 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $604 in Palma de Mallorca versus $558 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Palma de Mallorca and in Phuket?
Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Palma de Mallorca. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Palma de Mallorca or in Phuket?
At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,216 in Palma de Mallorca, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Palma de Mallorca. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Palma de Mallorca or Phuket more family-friendly?
For families, Phuket is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Palma de Mallorca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Palma de Mallorca or Phuket?
Safety-wise, Palma de Mallorca 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Palma de Mallorca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Palma de Mallorca vs other spots: cost of living compared

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