Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Albufeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $2,208 in Albufeira, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Albufeira
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Albufeira Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Albufeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Albufeira

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Albufeira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,208 in Albufeira.

Phuket $1,207
Albufeira $2,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $3,063 in Albufeira.

Phuket $2,037
Albufeira $3,063

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $3,918 in Albufeira.

Phuket $2,867
Albufeira $3,918

Living in Phuket costs roughly 45% less than in Albufeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$13.24 €11.78

-65.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$55.7 €49.51

-41.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$10.15 €9.03

-15.76%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.57 €2.28

5.84%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$1.55 €1.38

-39.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$1.32 €1.18

-62.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$3.40 €3.03

-23.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$4.33 €3.85

-11.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.07 €0.95

62.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.20 €1.06

19.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.55 €1.37

-1.29%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$3.01 €2.67

-27.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$15.68 €13.94

22.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$8.01 €7.13

-58.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$22.41 €19.94

-50.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.56 €2.28

15.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.31 €1.16

28.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.87 €1.67

22.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$3.14 €2.79

-32.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.79 €1.59

-14.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$2.82 €2.51

-51.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$1.57 €1.39

-28.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.54 €0.48

1.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.14 €5.46

-30.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$5.14 €4.57

253.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.34 €1.20

29.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.80 €1.60

55.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$3.05 €2.72

-27.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$55.2 €49.06

-60.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$3.56 €3.17

-18.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$1.09 €0.97

-7.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$16.45 €14.63

-76.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$2.02 €1.80

-26.24%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$33.5K €29.8K

-20.28%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$32.7K €29.1K

-18.41%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$108 €96.0

-7.97%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$21.27 €18.92

-46.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$34.44 €30.64

-49.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$52.8 €47.00

-1.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$11.28 €10.04

-3.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$8.76 €7.79

-13.58%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$482 €428

15.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$11.1K €9,837

3.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$105 €93.8

-40.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$45.52 €40.49

-37.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$83.3 €74.1

15.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$145 €129

-39.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$1,292 €1,149

-43.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$1,239 €1,102

-62.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$2,971 €2,642

-29.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$1,670 €1,485

-26.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,306 €2,051

50.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$2,233 €1,986

11.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,541 €1,371

-68.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.54

57.34%

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

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Albufeira: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Albufeira

$1.2K 56.1% 169% $779

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Albufeira

$283 12.8% 5.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Albufeira

$164 7.4% 27.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Albufeira

$171 7.7% 37.6% $47

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Albufeira

$204 9.3% 68.5% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Albufeira

$70 3.2% 4.4% $2.9

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Albufeira

$76 3.5% 96.5% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $1,292 in Albufeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Albufeira pays 213% 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: $32.00 in Phuket vs $56.0 in Albufeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $283 per month, with Phuket cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇵🇹 Albufeira

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

03:03 3:03 AM

6 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

44,168

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Albufeira 10,930 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Albufeira

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

Phuket vs Albufeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket and Albufeira differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($1,207 vs $2,208 including rent). Phuket is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 213% lower in Albufeira. 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: $729 in Phuket versus $1,292 in Albufeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $558 in Phuket versus $482 in Albufeira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Albufeira. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,207 in Phuket versus $2,208 in Albufeira, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Phuket but tight or insufficient in Albufeira. The gap between the two cities makes Phuket the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Albufeira 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 83% less than in Albufeira. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.