Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palma Soriano and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,208 a month against $1,565 in Palma Soriano, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Palma Soriano
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Palma Soriano Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Palma Soriano

🇨🇺 Cuba

$1,565

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,565 in Palma Soriano versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Palma Soriano $1,565
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,874 in Palma Soriano versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Palma Soriano $1,874
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,183 in Palma Soriano versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Palma Soriano $2,183
Phuket $2,845

Living in Palma Soriano is roughly 30% more expensive than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Palma Soriano is 16% above, Phuket is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.86 CUP 117

$4.40 ฿147

10.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.89 CUP 597

$32.26 ฿1,078

-22.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 CUP 117

$8.76 ฿293

-44.29%

Cappuccino

$3.16 CUP 75.7

$2.83 ฿94.5

11.66%

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

$1.26 CUP 30.25

$0.90 ฿30.14

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 CUP 21.27

$0.47 ฿15.56

89.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.07 CUP 73.7

$2.55 ฿85.2

20.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 CUP 59.3

$3.83 ฿128

-35.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 CUP 48.71

$1.73 ฿57.7

17.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 CUP 35.25

$1.47 ฿49.11

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 CUP 24.31

$1.51 ฿50.6

-33.11%

Eggs

$1.22 CUP 29.17

$2.17 ฿72.7

-43.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.83 CUP 140

$19.70 ฿658

-70.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.08 CUP 146

$3.34 ฿112

82.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.21 CUP 269

$11.16 ฿373

0.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 CUP 45.07

$2.85 ฿95.1

-34.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 CUP 28.55

$1.70 ฿56.9

-30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 CUP 34.96

$2.19 ฿73.3

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 CUP 36.71

$2.05 ฿68.4

-25.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 CUP 23.29

$1.45 ฿48.57

-33.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 CUP 23.69

$1.38 ฿46.16

-28.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 CUP 24.52

$1.07 ฿35.69

-4.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 CUP 26.84

$0.51 ฿16.91

119.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 CUP 71.3

$4.26 ฿142

-30.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.01 CUP 240

$18.58 ฿621

-46.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 CUP 72.8

$1.78 ฿59.7

70.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 CUP 47.48

$2.85 ฿95.2

-30.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 CUP 5.72

$2.26 ฿75.6

-89.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.36 CUP 729

$22.10 ฿738

37.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 CUP 44.14

$3.01 ฿101

-38.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 CUP 8.05

$1.06 ฿35.34

-67.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.16 CUP 316

$3.86 ฿129

240.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 CUP 28.34

$1.45 ฿48.45

-18.62%

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

$65.4K CUP 1.6M

$26.3K ฿879.9K

148.39%

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

$46.5K CUP 1.1M

$26.9K ฿900.4K

72.73%

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

$55.8 CUP 1,340

$96.4 ฿3,221

-42.08%

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

$9.81 CUP 235

$11.04 ฿369

-11.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$145 CUP 3,484

$17.14 ฿573

746.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.02 CUP 961

$52.2 ฿1,744

-23.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.83 CUP 236

$11.16 ฿373

-11.92%

Cinema Ticket

$1.02 CUP 24.49

$7.81 ฿261

-86.94%

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

$100 CUP 2,403

$556 ฿18.6K

-81.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K CUP 283.6K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

2.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 CUP 1,565

$64.2 ฿2,146

1.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.94 CUP 838

$28.69 ฿959

21.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 CUP 2,051

$95.4 ฿3,187

-10.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 CUP 2,660

$88.0 ฿2,940

25.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$875 CUP 21.0K

$737 ฿24.6K

18.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 CUP 19.4K

$462 ฿15.5K

74.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$757 CUP 18.2K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-63.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$656 CUP 15.7K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-45.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$322 CUP 7,725

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-90.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$324 CUP 7,785

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-87.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$39.94 CUP 959

$501 ฿16.7K

-92.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

5.57

49.55%

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

Last update for Palma Soriano: October 18, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palma Soriano

$807 51.6%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 42.7% $345

Groceries & Markets

Palma Soriano

$217 13.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 23.8% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palma Soriano

$211 13.5%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 40.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Palma Soriano

$133 8.5%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 6.8% $9.1

Eating Out

Palma Soriano

$120 7.7%

Phuket

$121 10% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Palma Soriano

$42 2.7%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 61.2% $26

Getting Around

Palma Soriano

$35 2.2%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 13.2% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $875 in Palma Soriano and $737 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays 1154% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25.00 in Palma Soriano vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $217 vs $269 per month, with Palma Soriano cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Palma Soriano

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

23:02 11:02 PM

11 h ahead of Palma Soriano

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,930

79,308

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palma Soriano Phuket 16,830 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Palma Soriano
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Palma Soriano vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Palma Soriano. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Phuket the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1154% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $875 in Palma Soriano versus $737 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Phuket runs roughly 37% less than in Palma Soriano. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $100 in Palma Soriano versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,208 in Phuket versus $1,565 in Palma Soriano, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Palma Soriano. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Phuket delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,208 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Phuket hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Palma Soriano 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.

Expats usually find Phuket gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Palma Soriano. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.